The Future They Shaped
by ksmurf
Summary: Set six months after the events of "The Future They Explored" – Yumemi and Munto are still coming to terms with the challenge of helping to restore the cycle of spirits between the Heavens and Earth. Unbeknownst to them, a threat lurks in the shadow of the akuto, waiting to tear apart the future they worked so hard to realize. Part III in the "Their Future" series. YxM
1. Chapter 1 - Tension

**Chapter 1: Tension**

Once, Munto had shown me the sins of the Heavens.

He had shown me a race of beings who fed on the legendary energy of akuto, granting them command over the fabric of the universe. Visions of heavenly citizens drunk on godlike powers, robbed of all sense of reason, flashed in my mind. Worlds were pillaged across many spaces and times, casting akuto-breeding humans into the flames of war. At the end of all things, the Heavens locked themselves away. Centuries passed and they starved for akuto, putting themselves on the verge of disappearing.

That was when they came to Earth, seeking to restore the akuto cycle, throwing me into a new future full of both terrible and wonderful things. Ever since that day, Munto and I have worked to bring our people together.

But we were not prepared for the challenge that would test the foundations of our very spirits and shake us to the core.

* * *

The summer light filtered through the trees as a quiet wind rustled the leaves. The cherry blossoms were long gone for the season, but the air stilled carried a remaining hint of spring.

Yumemi found herself looking up at the sky, a bright blue with puffy clouds scattered about. Beyond the clouds floated the islands that only she could once see. Thinking about her friends, a smile crept onto her face.

Only three years ago, it had been a summer's day just like this one – remnants of a downpour pooling on the streets, reflecting and refracting the early morning sun – when Yumemi first saw Munto. That was where the adventure began. As a terrified second year in middle school, she could not have imagined that she could play such a large role in saving her world as well as Munto's.

Much had changed: the Heavens and the Lower World now shared a common space-time, Munto was now the leader of the United Alliance, and Yumemi had become somewhat of a local celebrity.

A new school, a new uniform, a new chapter in her life.

"Yumemi!"

Ichiko jogged down the street to the corner where they met up to walk to school for track and field practice.

Yumemi felt her smile grow a little brighter. Many things were new, but some never changed.

"Good morning," she tugged a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.

"It's so hot already!" Ichiko fanned herself as the two of them set off for the high school. "Thank goodness that we're already on to summer uniforms. We'd be dying in our winter blazers." She raked a hand through her bob. "It's so much better in the Magical Kingdom – it's like spring year round."

"Hmm." Yumemi murmured, trying to keep the disappointment from showing on her face. The last time she had been to the Magical Kingdom was around Christmas. The weeks that followed were filled with intense periods of study and cram school. Then there had been sitting for exams, getting the results, actually starting in a new school, adjusting to a new routine…Before she knew it, six months had flown by.

Feeling a wave of self-pity wash over, she changed topics. "Did you see Suzume's latest text?"

"Obviously!" Ichiko adopted a mild look of irritation. "She texts us anytime Kazuya-kun sneezes! I love Suzume and all, but I really don't need to see her guy munching on crepes with powdered sugar on his nose."

"I think it's cute."

"That's exactly what someone in a committed relationship would say. You couples are all the same. 'Aw, that's adorable. We do that too! Why don't we go on a double date?'"

With a knowing smile, Yumemi prodded her friend. "I take it that he hasn't confessed then?"

Right on cue, Ichiko sputtered defiantly. "Who-who are you talking about? Who would be confessing to me?"

"You know who I'm talking about."

Her friend grumpily frowned. "Yeah, well, I don't think that's going happen."

"Oh no, what happened?" she asked, feeling a bit remorseful.

"Nothing in particular. It's just that he's such a powerful person – right hand man to the king! Not to mention he has magical powers, he's very intelligent, and he's super good looking…" She trailed off before waving a hand in front of her face is if to wipe away some cobwebs. "I've seen the types of girls up there. They're perfect."

Gesturing to herself, she added: "And I'm not. I'm the girl who's got hands bigger than a boy's, remember?"

"But heavenly beings are even bigger than us, so your hands are going to small compared to them either way." Yumemi gave her friend a gentle pat on the shoulder. "Besides, I can't see Louie learning to use a cell phone for just any ordinary girl."

They rounded the final corner and would be at the school gates in only a few moments.

"I guess." Ichiko responded half-heartedly before becoming defiant. "What do I need some blue-haired man for anyway? If I start dating someone, who will protect you and Suzume?"

Yumemi giggled as the pair headed for the school lockers, her mind filling with the notion of spending the morning high jumping.

In her third year of middle school, she had taken up the sport, which was highly unusual since most third years stopped their club activities after the summer to focus on studying for entrance exams. There was something about the rush of wind during the run and then flipping over the bar so her entire view was the blue expanse of sky that she couldn't get enough of.

Perhaps it was because for the few brief seconds, with her eyes on the sky, it felt like she was almost connected to him.

Both girls headed to the changing room, where they almost collided with a fellow track member.

"Oh, well if it isn't the little princess?" Yumemi's classmate was already dressed in her gym clothes, ready for practice. "How is your Prince Charming today?"

Purposefully, Yumemi walked past the antagonist. "Good morning to you, Inoue-san. Is Coach here yet?" She quickly started changing in her own practice clothes and tied her hair back into a low pony tail.

Inoue shook her head, causing her angular bob to wave back and forth. "Nope. But you better hurry – no preferential treatment even if you're engaged to royalty." With a final flick of her hair, she stalked out of the dressing room.

Ichiko slowly raised an eyebrow. "I'll never get that one."

With a slight giggle, Yumemi explained. "I think she is jealous. Inoue-san usually had brand-name items and flashy upperclassman boyfriends. She must see me as some sort of competition."

And Inoue was not the only girl to share that sentiment.

On the day that she and Munto had endured the trial by 'Middle School Human World Date,' innocent bystanders had taken pictures of the larger than life king from the Heavens walking around with a human girl. Within the week, everyone at her school knew she was in an attachment with the red-haired magician. Within a month, it was everyone in town.

Giggling girls that she didn't even know came up to ask about the mysterious Heavenly Being and to snap pictures with her, as though she was to be some celebrated personage. While others scowled and delivered scornful verbal strikes, bitter that they were not the ones chosen.

"Competition?" Ichiko scoffed as she finished her own changing. "You're not stealing away anyone. All you have is goo-goo eyes for our gracious Lord Munto." She lowered her voice. "Does he still call himself _ore-sama?"_

"Yes, but not quite as often." It was great to have Ichiko and Suzume at the same school, even when they weren't in the same class. When the attention and the whispers dragged her down, her friends were there to pull her back to her feet. And if her friends weren't around, there was always the ring, which she kept tucked carefully out of sight.

"Let's have a great practice!" Ichiko held up her palm and Yumemi returned the high-five.

The weather was excellent and Yumemi passed away the hour feeling closer to Munto than she had in months.

The minute she walked into class, there was a furious buzz of whispering that suddenly stopped. Everyone looked up from their phones and stared in her direction. Cautiously, she made her way over to her desk, which was on the far side of the classroom. On her way there, the class rep stopped her.

"Hidaka-san, you are to report to the principal's office immediately."

Warily, she nodded. "Of course. Thank you for the message."

She was also no stranger to being called to the principal's office. It turns out high school, much like middle school, did not approve of high profile relationships. She hadn't been out of the entrance ceremony for more than a few minutes before the principal had cornered her to give a lecture on propriety and maintaining the school's reputation. No doubt, the crotchety old man had found another point of displeasure.

Heading out of the classroom, as soon as she slide the door behind her, the cacophony of whispers started again. The gossip machine was in true form today.

Briskly walking down the hall, she made it the office in minutes and gently rapped on the door.

"Come in."

The office had not changed much since she had last visited. Wooden paneling, a rich desk, plush leather chairs, and expensive art on the walls. Such extravagance was uncanny, given the modest appearance of the rest of the school, but investigating potential embezzlement of school donations would have to wait for another day.

"Welcome, Hidaka-san. Please, have a seat." The principal was a balding man, slightly portly, and while not an unkind man, did not leave her with a pleasant feeling.

Yumemi took her seat across the desk from him and patiently waited for the rebuke to come. That was when she saw the other man.

Standing behind the principal was an officer of the military, stern-faced and unsmiling. She immediately perked up with a mixture of curiosity and alarm. This was probably not going to about dating red heads.

"Hidaka Yumemi, I presume?" The officer clinically referred to paperwork in his file and then looked at her again, eyes devoid of any compassion or understanding. She nodded numbly.

"You are to come with me for questioning."

Incredulous, Yumemi looked to her principal for confirmation. Was he seriously going to let the military take her away? There was not a chance that she was going to be intimidated by some taciturn man in a uniform – not after everything she had been through. But getting away from a military post might prove difficult and the principal was just sitting there, with a little knowing smile. No help from him.

"What have I done?" She threw back at officer, the spark of fight in her face.

"You are known to be consorting with the heavenly being known as Munto, also known as the king of the Magical Kingdom and the head of the United Alliance of the Heavens."

With this, she gave a little start. Munto had become the head of the Alliance? While she was a little disappointed that she had to learn about this turn of events through a third party, her heart swelled with pride. He had been trying so hard to gain the trust of the other rulers for so long and it was the position that his father used to hold. Now she could hardly wait to share in the excitement.

"We have found that United Alliance to be acting against their declared intent to seek compromise and peace. Our intel has indicated that they represent a significant danger to the human race and will be handled accordingly."

Fire lit up in the pit of her stomach as adrenaline coursed through her veins. It was no secret that tensions between humans and heavenly beings had been rocky at best, especially since last fall when the human news networks started interviewing the heavenly beings. This resulted in the reveal that the "other worlders" consumed something called akuto. In an attempt to explain the process, a common misconception had arose that akuto was part of the human soul, and therefore by extension, heavenly beings were consuming souls. In the confusion, protest groups had sprung up to rally against the "soul suckers" and they were known to get violent with anyone who interacted closely with what they called "space vampires".

This sounded much worse.

"What evidence do you have of this?"

"I am not allowed to discuss this matter at this time. You will come with me and I will brief you on any relevant information during your questioning."

Once again, Yumemi looked to her principal, hoping against the odds that he would lend her a hand. Judging from the victorious gleam in his eye, he wasn't planning on stopping this. Frowning, she glared at him. It was one thing to dislike a student because you felt they were damaging the school's reputation or causing a distraction for other students. It was another thing entirely to turn the other cheek while that student was carted away.

Turning her focus back to the military man, she confronted him again. "I will not go with you. You may ask me any questions here, but I doubt that you will be able to take me away lawfully." She contemptuously shot a jibe at the principal: "No one here has the authority to remove me from school. You will need to call my parents."

The officer's face adopted a reddish hue, but before he could start barking at her, the principal intervened.

"Hidaka-san. It is easy to see that you have been swayed by your unhealthy obsession with that 'good friend' of yours, but you really must consider the safety of yourself, your friends, and your family. You would not want them to get hurt, would you?" Sensing a rebuttal, he continued, speaking over Yumemi.

"There have been rumors that these "visitors" are not who you think they are. Just this morning a new report was released that hints at some of the evil things they have done in the past." He shared a knowing nod with the officer. "The good people at the defense force will of course have the full details, but they have very good reason to be concerned. That race is only pretending to want a peaceful resolution of the current state of affairs. You would be a very valuable resource in planning for Earth's defense against the invaders."

Coughing slightly to clear his throat, the office added, "Hidaka-san, it was never our intention to remove you from school. We would merely like to consult with you, given your close ties to the Heavens, as to what we can do to protect ourselves."

A tiny strain of relief eased Yumemi's fear ever so slightly. At least her secret was still safe. If the authorities were being this antagonistic merely because they thought she was in a relationship, she could only imagine what would happen if they realized that she had been instrumental in manipulating physics to merge the world together.

"It think it is absolutely terrible that you have such little faith in our new neighbors," she said. "They have never openly declared aggression against us, but you refuse to give them the benefit of the doubt."

"As I said, we have intelligence that suggests otherwise. And if you will come with me, we can fully brief you."

"I refuse." Yumemi stood her ground.

"Hidaka-san, if I may offer some advice. You are young and naïve; it is very easy to be swept away in what appears to be a grand romance. We are worried about you. Your classmates, your teachers, myself, we are all very worried about you. That man that you hold so dear is dangerous. Without your knowing, he has been polluting your mind and clouding your judgement. Now is the time to act on the wisdom and knowledge of your elders."

He attempted to place one his hands over Yumemi's, but she shied away from the contact. Irritated, he snapped at her. "I would seriously consider cooperating with the authorities. At the very least, I would recommend cutting all contact with the invaders immediately. We are about to be thrown into a chaotic time, and I would hate for one of my students to be on the wrong side when justice is served."

Yumemi gaped. She knew the principal disliked her because she didn't conform to his notion of an ideal student and was very likely one of the "soul sucker" protestors, but to threaten her outright?

Luckily the morning bell rang, giving her an excuse to escape from the room. "May I leave, sir? I have Literature."

Both men were fuming slightly at this point, neither having cleared their objective for the meeting, but Yumemi had been right: if they could not convince her to go willingly, they would need her parents' permission to remove her from the premises. They had no choice but to let her go.

As she walked to open the door, the principal threw one last barb at her. "Hidaka-san, you will refrain from spreading your misguided ideologies. If I hear that you are disturbing the other students with your warped sense of events, I will have you suspended. Is that clear?"

"Crystal clear, sir." She made sure to slam the door hard enough that the glass in the pane rattled just a tiny bit.

Fuming, she headed back to class. Was the entire human race that small minded and intolerant? A bit further down the hallway, she stopped herself to take a calming breath. It would do her no good to get angry at the misguided. With a clear head, a piece of the conversation wafted up through her memories.

What rumors were they referring to?

She whipped out her phone. It didn't not take her long to find where the "rumors" were coming from. Every news network was churning articles and videos about the Heavens. She clicked on one article and nearly collapsed against the wall when she read what was written.

It was as she feared: the article laid the sins of the Heavens bare for all to see. The early days of rapid akuto consumption, the obliteration of human civilization, raping the various space-times, the great schism…all the way to the present day. The author was biased and painted the Heavens in such a negative light that it would undoubtedly incite activist groups to further violence.

"How terrible," Yumemi murmured. There was no telling how much damage news like this would do.

No wonder everyone in class had been buzzing with nervous energy when she came into the room.

Other articles brazenly labeled the heavenly beings as monster who nearly destroyed the human race and were not returning to terrorize once again.

She was interrupted by a text from Ichiko.

 _"I heard you were called out by the principal. Are you okay?"_

 _"Yes. Let's talk about it after school."_

 _"Suzume says that we can stop by Kazuya's place after practice."_

Yumemi smiled. Now all she needed to do was make it through the school day.

* * *

Hundreds of miles away, above the clouds that drifted over the Pacific Ocean, was the United Alliance Headquarters. A large stone building with many floors and windows. On the very top floor, in a room framed with windows on most sides, was a grand table, around which sat various elders, rulers, and dignitaries from all seven heavenly continents.

Standing at the head of the table, with a magical projection of data and images behind him, stood Munto, finally delivering the last of his report on the Gridori incident from almost a year ago.

"Therefore it is my conclusion that no foul play was committed during the attack by the former king of Horguze, known as Gridori. He was operating in isolation and with no outside assistance from any member of the United Alliance."

With that, he was done. Try as he might, he couldn't prevent the tiniest sigh of relief from escaping. Many months of hard investigation, much of it handled directly by the young king himself, had been taxing. Interrogations had been long, particularly since no ruler or elder had wanted to remember that they had been tricked by an imposter and almost done irreparable damage to the future that he worked so hard to bring about.

Finally, he wrangled the information he needed. After a much longer delay, the council had decided to convene and he strong armed his way onto the agenda, lest he be forced to wait another half year.

But now it was over. He headed back to seat, thinking about the real problem at hand: working on the relations with Yumemi's world.

"If I may address the king of the Magical Kingdom?"

Everyone at the round table turned to face the new speaker: the young king of Horguze who had been elected by his tribesman after Gridori had been pulled into the void eighteen month ago.

Munto froze and then slowly returned to front of the table. "What is your question, Tatakohe?" The new ruler put him on edge – whether it was because he shared the same kingdom as Gridori or there was something else that made him distrustful, he couldn't be sure.

"Did you not find it odd that everyone so readily agreed to attack the humans?"

There was uncomfortable shifting as the young leader called attention to the elephant in the room. Munto was unsure himself of how to respond – he usually relied on Louie and Ryuely to help him navigate the waters of political intrigue. While he might have agreed that the Heavens were wrong to have jumped the gun, to use the parlance of the Lower World, bringing up such a topic would only sow discord amongst the members of the already weak Alliance.

He crossed his arms and gave a disproving look to the newest member of the group. "As I mentioned in my report, tensions were high, considering how the delegation from the Lower World was behaving. Anyone would have felt threatened, if it provoked, would be moved to defend their country. The reaction of the Alliance as a whole was not wrong, even it was perhaps a bit hasty."

Murmurs went around the table and Munto wanted to slap himself. That last piece was unnecessary: he had to keep calm. Pretend to be Louie.

Nothing escaped Tatakohe. "You agree then that the Alliance was premature in their decision to launch a full-scale attack against the Lower World nation known as Japan? Even though, ultimately, that choice was not wrong?"

Silence fell in the room. Munto was trapped and Tatakohe knew it. He could deny it, claim that he misspoke, but that would be a sign of weakness. Or he could stick by his decision. Louie was going to kill him.

Battle instincts humming, he went for it. "Yes. The Alliance moved too quickly and was goaded too easily into attacking the very people that we are seeking to understand and build relationships with. Too long have we lived, governed by our own standards, without any outside influence. To attack without even confirming the facts would have ended in disaster."

"And what were the facts in this case?" Tatakohe came around the table, his white headdress and mask concealing his face. Munto had to resist the urge to shoot a ball of energy at the spitting image of Gridori.

"The impostor misrepresented the threat that the humans posed to us in order to generate a defensive state amongst the leaders."

"Right, and in your own words, we weren't wrong to be defensive, given that we believed we were threatened. You still believe that we acted…hastily?"

"There were other signs," Munto replied angrily. "After weeks of championing for peace and stability, through dozens of talks trying to understand the other side, you thought that it was natural that I would suddenly change my position?"

Tatakohe's stance changed ever so slightly. As a seasoned warrior, Munto could tell he was brimming with confidence, moving in to the kill, so he sought to cut him off.

"Not to mention that all of my top aides, advisors, and allies were suddenly declared treasonous and thrown into the dungeons! Did that not give you a moment's pause?"

The elder of [BLAH], his long eyebrows covering his eyes spoke up. "To be fair, young king, you are rash and often lose your temper. Even in discussions with the humans, you would become antagonistic towards them."

"All the more reason to be suspicious!" Munto was sliding down a slippery slope, but without Louie or Ryuely in the room, there was nothing to stop this fall. "Despite my temperament, I was still trying to make it work with the humans. I wouldn't have suddenly given up!"

"Unless something had changed with the Girl of Destiny."

Tatakohe's attack came unannounced and Munto reeled from the shock. What did Yumemi have to do with this?

"Hypothetically, you could have been making the effort in deference to her. After all, she does possess the same power as an Outsider. It would have been reasonable to keep her placated by keeping up the pretenses of these negotiations."

Trying to keep his rage under control, Munto clenched his fists down at his sides. "Yumemi – I mean, the Girl of Destiny is someone that we can trust. She helped resolve the akuto crisis and helped to make our present possible."

"A present, I remind everyone, that was decided by you and by her. None of us had any say in the matter."

"We did what we thought was right." He gritted his teeth as it took all of his resolve not to punch the smarmy bastard in front of him.

"Of course. Please don't misunderstand, everyone here is grateful that you resolved the akuto crisis – even though that was mostly brought on by your country's excessive akuto consumption." He waved a hand, as if sensing Munto's tensing muscles. "But that is beside the point. The key thing here is that I believe you have been swayed by this young human girl and you are biased."

More murmuring ran around the table and Munto knew he was in trouble. Before the Gridori incident, everyone had followed his lead as the ruler who helped bring about the end of the akuto crisis. After Gridori's attack, everyone had grown distrustful, but still reluctantly rallied around him because he held the power of the Girl of Destiny, the armies of the Magical Kingdom and Ender, and also had experience with the void. That allegiance was wound tightly like a thread, ready to split at any moment.

And Tatakohe was making that moment now.

"I move that we all have an opportunity to speak to the Girl of Destiny. After all, if she does possess the powers of the Outsider, should not that power reside beyond any single country? Even if we are no longer separated from Earth, it would be good to have a traditional figure like the Guardian of Time and Space returned to us."

"But Yumemi isn't interested in any of that. Besides, Gass said that if anyone uses the space-time magic too much, they will be cursed-"

"And Gass is gone!" His opponent remarked loudly. "He did not pass on the Outsider powers and this girl, this Yumemi is the best alternative that we have."

Munto snapped. He flashed over to Tatakohe and grabbed the white fur mantle with both hands. "Don't you dare say her name," he said under his breath.

"Or what?"

Feeling the tugs of advisers pulling him away, Munto allowed himself to be extracted from the other young king, who called after him.

"Please have his lordship escorted from the room. It seems this is a difficult topic for him, due to his affection for the little human girl. Send him to his quarters until he has regained his composure. The rest of us will continue the meeting."

Enraged, Munto whirled on him, but was already been dragged from the room by an entire group of guards. Seconds later, he was locked outside of the meeting room.

That bastard! How did he know so much? A random person should not be able to get under his skin so perfectly!

He stalked down the hallway to his private guest room. Along the way, he ran into Louie, who offered nothing more than several confused questions, which he promptly ignored. He did not stop his furious pace until he was safely behind the closed door of his room. Only then, did he lean against the wall and slide down to the stone floor, knees drawn up, and rested his head on crossed arms.

Why did this have to be so hard? He had done and sacrificed so much already to get to this point, but everyone was determined to be stuck in their ways, relentlessly trying to tear about this future.

At his eye level was his father's ring. Yumemi had already explained that she could not wear her ring on a regular basis, but he sincerely wished she was wearing it right now.

He had already reached his limit long ago. He had the support of Louie, of Ryuely, of Sheza, Harka, Marty, and Tail, but there were here to support his ambitions, his hopes, and his dreams. Yumemi supported his heart. In the past year, they had confirmed their feelings for one another and last winter, despite their first real fight, Yumemi had all but pledged to dedicate her life to him. That along had buoyed him through the tough times and on the dark days, the rings help to connect him, to keep him from falling into the darkness.

Now the council was jeopardizing that bright link he shared with her. If she truly became the Outsider, then he would have to give up. That was not something easily undertaken.

Suddenly there was a rush of emotions, but he was instantly on guard. The emotions coming through were fear, anger, and pain. Yumemi was in trouble! Without a second thought, he rushed to the window, threw it open and launched himself into the sky. Normally he would fly, but the seconds were streaming by.

He closed his eyes and imagined where he wanted to go. He remembered Yumemi's room with clarity – her bed by the window, desk up against the wall, low bookshelves to separate from her little brother's space. At the end of her bed was a wall that overlooked the main space in the house. As he recalled every detail, the rush of magic swirled around him.

Seconds later, he opened his eyes and he was in the loft. Yumemi's little brother was huddled on the bed, eyes wide in shock, with tear-stained cheeks. "King-man?"

When would these people learn that he was Munto-sama? Pushing aside this blatant disrespect, he quickly walked down the stairs, where he promptly ran into Yumemi's parents, who were distressed by the front entrance. They turned as they heard the commotion and Yumemi's mother ran up to him sobbing.

"Munto! They've taken Yumemi!" she sagged against him, her head hitting him around his rib cage.

"What?" He tried to make sense of this information when he noticed that Yumemi's father was sporting cuts and bruises all over his face and arms. Those were signs of a struggle if he'd ever seen one. "Who took her?"

Attempting to put shattered glasses on his nose, Mr. Hidaka wearily responded. "The military. They've made up some ridiculous story that she's pivotal to our national security. I mean, she helped you out a little a few years ago, but what could she really know? She's only sixteen!" There were tears forming behind the cracked lenses. "Can you save her? Can you bring her back?"

Munto slowly pushed Mrs. Hidaka into her husband's arms. "I will do everything in my power to bring Yumemi back." He walked out the front door and jumped into the sky, scaring the low-level guard that had been stationed by the gate. "

He could still feel the fear and pain coming from Yumemi, but now the anger was much strong. Anger was good.

 _Yumemi, I'm coming!_

The rest of the school day had gone quietly. Almost too quietly. None of her classmates had asked her about the terrifying news reports. The principal had not followed up with her. Practice was business as usual. She was even able to go over to Kazuya's apartment to clarify the news reports for her friends.

It wasn't until she was rounding on her home that she realized that they had never let her go. There was an unmarked car outside of her house, with troopers hanging by the front door. With a defiant air, she walked into the front entry way.

The house was in chaos. Her little brother was at the top of the stairs, fearful. There were men decked in black combat gear, standing around with prepared grips on their weapons.

"No, I do not give you permission to take my daughter! This is outrageous!" Her father, who rarely ever raised his voice, was yelling into the face of the military officer from this morning. "Get out of my house!"

Her mother ran up as well, but several of the armored men grabbed her and hauled her back to the couch.

Yumemi raced into the living room, not even bothering to remove her shoes. "Excuse me! Just what do you think you are doing?" She pushed the guards back from her mother. Then she turned to the officer. "I told you I would not cooperate. Now leave!"

"That isn't your decision." The officer gave a brief hand signal and the troopers moved in to surround Yumemi, grabbing her harshly by the arms and lifting her off the ground. Immediately, she began to kick and twist, managing to get away for a brief second.

"Yumemi, run!" Her father yelled, fighting back, earning himself several blows to the head, which forced him to the ground.

Not needing any excuses, she bolted for the back door, grabbing the ring from her necklace and slipping it on her finger. There was no time to comprehend the despair coming from Munto, as the guards at the background stopped her in her tracks. One of them attempted to knock her out, but the butt of his machine gun hit her shoulder instead. The pain made her blank for a second, which was just enough time for another pair of guards to scoop her up.

Her vision was still blurry as she was carried out of the house and into the backseat of the car. She could hear the car doors slam and the engine started. A minute later, her eyesight began to clear.

They had stuck her in her in the backseat of the car with some men in helmets and visors. There was a divider between the back and the front, presumably that horrible officer was in the front. She checked her hands, which were now bound with zip ties.

She bit her lip: her experience with escaping was fairly minimal. What was she going to do?

 _Yumemi, I'm coming!_

Her heart soared.

* * *

 **A/N:** Welcome back everyone! This is the third installment of the "Their Future" series, which is my little attempt to continue the Munto TV series. If are new, I recommend reading "The Future They Opened" and "The Future They Explored" to make better sense about what is going on.

This is going to be a longer story - not sure how long yet. Our dream team is back together and ready to take on a brand new foe. What awaits them in the shadows? Stay tuned to find out!


	2. Chapter 2 - Fracture

**Chapter 2: Fracture**

* * *

Several millennia in the past, my people abandoned their traditional forms to become beings of akuto. This decision granted them unmeasurable power that was carefully honed over centuries. The denizens of the Magical Kingdom became especially skilled, learning how to turn akuto into magical energy for use in battle, for flight, for teleportation. For a magician, his magic means his life. Never once did I imagine that it would fail me.

* * *

The flood of joy and excitement overwhelmed him for a brief moment, but he continued with renewed determination. Yumemi was still alive and safe! Or as safe as she could be, given she had just been abducted from her home.

A dark, shiny contraption was speeding away from the Hidaka household. While his experience with "cars", as Louie called them, was limited, they were far less threatening than any of the magical machines used to fight in the heavens. Already at a neck-breaking pace, he was catching up.

Seconds later, he dropped lightly onto the top cover and raised his arm to fire a small blast to the front of the vehicle. Instantly, the car began to smoke and spin out of control, and he knew that he needed to act quickly or Yumemi would be caught up in the mess as well. Placing his hand on the metal, a red glow emitting from under his palm. The roof of the car shifted and shrieked as it contorted into a small crumbled lump.

Wasting no time, he reached into the hole. "Yumemi, come!" When she didn't immediately extend her own hand, he took a second look. She was sitting in one of the seats, kicking several men dressed in black warrior garb, her arms bound behind her. The entire scene was made more chaotic as the spinning car forced everyone in the corners of the space.

He jumped into the fray, carefully wrapping her in his arms before soaring back into the sky. He frantically scanned the air, trying to detect any other presences that could put them in danger. Finding nothing, he could not shake the feeling that they were being watched.

"Is there a safe location that we can move to?" he maintained his high alert. Heavenly attacks he could handle, but it was difficult to tell what the humans could bring.

Yumemi started to cry quietly.

A mixture of relief and exhaustion rushed into his system, generating a fair amount of guilt. Today was an ordeal for any person, never mind a girl who was still growing into adulthood. How could he have forgotten that? With a wave of his hand, red magic cut through the plastic bonds, releasing her arms with a pop. She reached around with a shaking grasp to softly hold his waist. Gently, he brought up the hand from her back to cradle her head, pulling her in closer.

He silently floated towards her home, but it was as he suspected: there were even more humans crawling around the yard and right outside the door. Returning there was impossible for the time being. Yumemi's tears had subsided and she looked up, also noticing the dilemma.

"Let's try Kazuya's apartment," she suggested.

The human military had one up on them though, for when they arrived at the college student's home, there were more of the same black-garbed military men.

"The school?"

The school. Ichiko's home. Suzume's house. The city park. Each location had military presence, and so, Munto continued to fly, keeping to the deepening shadows. He was anxiously running out of patience because he could feel the subtle pain coming off of Yumemi. They needed to find a resting place and get her healed before her injuries worsened.

"There."

Following her pointed finger, he brought them down to a bridge on the edge of town. Just below, next to the running water, was a place they could take refuge, tucked away between two of the main supporting beams.

Without any prompting, Yumemi slid out of his arms and touched her loafers to the ground, before trying to tuck her mussed hair behind her ears. She accidentally brushed against a cut on her forehead, wincing at the contact.

Instantly, Munto was examining the wound, his golden eyes filled with concern. The cut was nothing major, but the bruise underneath it was not insignificant – it was already swelling, cutting off some of her vision. Uneasiness building, he was not sure what to do next. He had never trained in healing magic and now was not the time for amateur hour. He closed his eyes in regret: what use was his magic now that he could not help the one most precious to him?

"Munto." Her golden voice broke through his insecurity. "I will be fine for a while. What we need to do is decide what we want to do next." She reached up to place her palm against his cheek.

His eyes opened in surprise, but he smiled warmly down at her. She really was the weight that kept him grounded. The number of times she had saved just increased by one.

"I cannot bring you to the Magical Kingdom – not easily." He explained, taking a seat on the concrete, stretching his legs out in front. Yumemi also sat, but in a rather bold move that forced a slight blush on the young king's face, she sat on his lap, leaning onto his chest. "The Alliance has accused me of keeping you hidden. They will be watching my borders for any sign of you."

"Are they watching everyone or just the kingdom?"

"I doubt they are watching Louie and the others; they are not of enough consequence to the council at the moment."

"Then I have an idea." She straightened up a little, digging into her deep blue skirt, and pulled out her phone. Munto had seen this particular device in the past and was a little familiar with its function. He watched with fascination as she swiped on the smooth surface with a fingertip, causing the images to shift and update. It was not entirely dissimilar to the displays used by the magicians, except everything here was captured on the tiniest of screens.

Suddenly she switched to a tapping motion and the phone was filled with runes that he recognized as Yumemi's language.

"Are you contacting someone?"

She nodded and continued tapping, the device making clicking noises with each push of her finger. "I am glad that I saved his number from last winter."

"His?"

* * *

Louie cursed rather loudly.

He had been right to be worried over leaving Munto to his own devices at the assembly. The king had assured him that he had everything in hand, so Louie had reluctantly gone to complete an errand for the Lady Ryuely.

What did he find upon his arrival?

His lord had been forcibly removed from the meeting of the United Alliance. How was that even possible? Munto was the leader of the Alliance, for goodness' sake! He had managed to wrest the details from the aide to the king of Shainan. Apparently the hothead had lost his cool when they started talking about the Girl of Destiny and the king of Horguze had requested that he be removed from the room.

Frustrated beyond belief, Louie had practically run to the guest room assigned to Munto, only to find it empty with the windows open.

Why could the king not stay put and act like a rational adult? Everything was spontaneous, especially when it involved _her_.

It was at that moment that his trousers vibrated. He only jumped a little, but looked around the same to make sure that no one had seen his brief moment of confusion.

He pulled out the phone that Ono-san had been kind enough to assist him in purchasing. On the front was a blinking light and a small written message from the princess.

 _"Munto OK. Under bridge at…"_

Frantically, he jotted down the location provided and then punched it into another "app" as Ono-san called them. A small robotic voice began speaking, giving him direction to where he could find his king. There was much "re-routing" as he also left via the window to speed down to the Lower World's surface.

Time was of the essence. Luckily, the rest of the leaders were still held up in the meeting and had yet to notice Munto's disappearance. But it was only a matter of time before someone came looking for them.

He shivered as he passed through some clouds as the weather began taking a turn for the worse. It would have been so much easier to teleport, but without a focal point, he could not orient the spell to bring him to where he needed to go. Damp and cold would have to do.

It took him close to twenty minutes before the little robotic voice told him that his destination was on the left. Gliding down to the bridge, he landed in what was now pouring rain.

"Munto?" he called, taking cover under the stone structure.

"Louie?" was the tired, but strong response. The king stood to reveal where he had the Girl of Destiny had been concealing themselves. Briskly, he walked over to greet his lord and clasped forearms with him.

"What happened? Why are you here?" He glanced down as the girl was slowly getting up and gasped. Rumpled clothes, dirt smudges everywhere, mussed hair, and a large bruise over one eye. "Princess! What happened to you?"

She smiled weakly. "It's a long story. Thank you for coming, Louie-san."

"We need Sheza," Munto said solemnly, "but first, we need to get her to the Magical Kingdom without anyone noticing."

Louie hesitated. Did this have something to do with the outcome of the meeting earlier? He met Munto's eyes to see complete trust. There would be plenty of time later to discuss these mysterious circumstances. However, at the moment, his top priority was to keep the king and princess safe.

"Understood." He thought for a moment. "Flying would not be recommended as I suspect some of the council may have arranged for watches around your borders."

"My thought exactly," Munto threw a worried glance at Yumemi. "I do not want the council to know that she is with me."

"If only there was a way to get her into the kingdom without one of us. Then we could return to the headquarters and no one would suspect a thing." Louie rubbed his temple. "But that would require someone who can teleport with more than one person."

"Um."

Both heavenly beings were interrupted by the soft murmur. Yumemi looked uncertain, but determined to speak up.

"What is required to teleport?"

Louie immediately began to protest. "Princess, teleport is a high level spell that takes years to master. Having you attempt such a large teleport is not something I could condone. We don't even know if it would work for Lower Worlders!"

Ignoring the outburst, Munto placed his hands on both of Yumemi's shoulders. "Teleportation requires a focal point and then transporting every particle of your form to that location. It requires a lot of akuto and absolute concentration."

Her response was to bite her lip and from Louie's perspective, it was clear that she had doubts. "There must be another way. True, she passed the test of magicians, but teleportation is very difficult. Not many of us can manage it."

"Yumemi?"

"I want to try." She looked up into her partner's eyes, resolute, before flashing a tiny smile. "It can't be any harder than the pillar of light, right?"

He stroked her hair softly and bent down to give her a kiss against the honey golden strands. Louie averted his gaze, uncertain whether this behavior was entirely appropriate. He moved to stand away from the couple as Munto began explaining the teleportation spell in more detail.

After a few minutes, he watched the two share an embrace before the king came to join him.

"We depart for the Alliance Headquarters immediately." Both of them walked out into the rain once more and floated into the sky.

Did the king not care to ensure that the princess made it safely? Louie glanced at Munto, to see a slightly troubled expression on his face. Surely, under all the rain water, there must be the sheen of a nervous sweat. For all his strong words, there was still ample concern.

Louie hoped that against all the odds, the princess would be fine. Otherwise, what would become of Munto?

* * *

"Take a deep breath," Yumemi told herself. "You can do this."

All she needed to do was put all of her concentration on a single point in space, then imagine her spirit traveling to that location. Naturally, her body would follow to where her spirit wanted to go.

Granted, that was how it worked in theory. Yumemi was neither a heavenly being, nor was she a trained magician. There was so much that could go wrong here.

But she knew it was the only way. The only way to keep her out of the clutches of both the human military and the heavenly council. Until they could figure out the true intent of both groups, it was dangerous to leave her in the custody of either. Sneaking into the Magical Kingdom while no one noticed was the one and only plan.

Standing at the edge of where the bridge stopped providing cover, she could feel the spray of the rain droplets that were being driven every which way by the wind. There were no other sounds, but the shush of the weather: no cars, no people. Perfect for trying to cast a spell for the first time.

She turned her back to the stormy outside and held out her arms, fingers splayed. Once more, a deep breath, then another and another. Slowly, she formed the image in her mind. It was an image she knew well from her infrequent visits to the Magical Kingdom. Carefully putting every detail in its place, she wracked her brain for any additional features she could add.

Once she was sure that more could be wrung from her mind, she let out one last breath before she let go. She imagined her spirit, pale blue, whizzing through the sky, beyond the clouds, to where she needed to be. As she traveled faster and faster, the picture in her mind began to waver.

A second later, she was lying on the ground, still under the bridge with aching limbs. Her head was throbbing again as she sat up, trying to figure out what happened. It certainly felt like she had fallen from a bit of a height.

Rubbing her muscles, she sat on the ground and began to concentrate again. A bit faster this time, she was able to pull up the picture in her mind's eye. With her focus point, she sent her spirit spinning through the air.

She pushed farther, onward to the edge of the island, past the waterfall where she and Munto had spent last Christmas. Her attention faltered and a second later, she was falling. At a very fast speed.

Shrieking, Yumemi struggled to remember the trick to flying. What was it? Imagine you are lighter than air and allow yourself to drift on the currents? This did nothing to stop her downward drop. The cloud cover was too thick to make out whether she was over land or water. Either option was less than appealing.

That left her with only one option: figure out teleportation or hit the ground.

She forced her body into something resembling a calm state and once again conjured the image of her destination, as bright and clear as her own vision. With a resounding force, she thrust her spirit towards the island that was rapidly falling away.

Dark robes, green cloak. Blond hair, scar on the face. Big, powerful, unmoving, like a mountain. Her spirit sped towards the Magical Kingdom, searching for the once place where she needed to go. Across gardens, past the palace, and into the forest. There he was!

"SHEZA-SAN!" In an astral form, she reached out, latching on to a green spirit, one much larger than her own.

Instinctively, Sheza's spirit grabbed her outstretched hand, giving her an anchor. Moments later, his body braced for impact as Yumemi's body collided.

Groaning, Yumemi clutched her head for a second before realizing where she was, cradled in his arms. "Sheza-san! I am so sorry!" She scrambled to set herself on the ground.

"Princess?" The giant heavenly being gently lowered her with confusion contorting his normally kind expression. "What are you doing?" Then his eyes became grave as he noticed her wounds. "What happened? Where is Munto-sama?" He covered her eye with a glowing palm that filled her with the warmth that healing brings.

"Munto and Louie-san are back at the Alliance Headquarters," she said, trying to prevent her legs from trembling. "Where did I end up? I wasn't sure the teleportation was going to work at all."

Sheza gestured for her to sit on a nearby rock, which she gladly did. He knelt as he tended to each scrape, cut, and bruise. "We are on the outskirts of the palace grounds. I still do not understand how you managed to…" Then her words caught up with his train of thought. "You teleported?"

She blinked as the swelling around her eye reduced. "I tried to anyway." She smiled up at him. "At least it was better than my flying attempts."

The healer's eyes looked ready to pop out of his head for a second, until he regained his composure. No wonder the king was always worried about her! He coughed to mask his embarrassment. "I wondered what was happening. All l saw was your spirit and then the rest of you came after."

"Is that not how it's supposed to go?" she tilted her head inquisitively. "I don't have much experience with teleportation."

Now it was his turn to give her a slight, lop-sided smile. "Alas, princess, you have more experience than me. Teleportation is a skill I have yet to master."

"Oh!" Yumemi's eyes widened. "I had assumed that all magicians could-"

"It depends. The best can work magic naturally, like Munto-sama and Louie-san. Others of us," he shrugged, "have to work at it, so we pick which spells we want to learn." He held up his hands as the healing glow faded. "I focused on healing. I never got around to teleportation."

She patted her face and arms to test if everything was in working order. Please with the results, she gave a little bow and made eye contact. "Thank goodness for that, otherwise I would still be in a world of pain right now." Bringing her fingers to her lips, she pondered what to do next.

Munto and Louie would not likely be back for some time, but she needed to find a place to stay. Putting a little bit of extra energy into her thoughts, she attempted to send enough emotion to Munto to let him know that she was safe. Feeling relief pour back into her system from the ring made her smile. Message received.

"Sheza-san, is there somewhere I can hide?"

"Hide?"

She nodded. "I will explain later, but no one must know I am here," she said, a frown forming on her face. "I think Munto wanted to keep as many people out of it as possible."

"There is a cave," Sheza suggested. "One that I believe only Munto-sama, Louie, and I know." He gave a mildly exasperated chuckle. "The king spent a lot of time there was he was younger, working on his magic. I was often called when he got hurt."

"Shall we go?" Yumemi got off the rock and brushed some dirt from her messy uniform.

Sheza bowed. "But perhaps we should walk?"

* * *

Tatakohe sat back and admired his handiwork. The ancient fools were happily being fed from his hand, like some old pets. Too long had the peace-mongering Magical Kingdom held authority over the Heavens, allowing it to dwindle away into a shadow of its former glory. The Alliance needed someone with ambitions and aspirations – not a foolish king who desired parlays and treaties with the human race.

As he looked around the room, as the other rulers and elderly advisers discussed what to do with the human conflict, he knew it would only be a matter of time. And he wouldn't make the same mistakes that Gridori made.

He stifled a laugh, remembering the shocked face of Munto's right-hand man when he entered the room to find his king was not present at the table. Serves him right.

"Then it is agreed. We will have Munto bring the Girl of Destiny before this committee so that we may determine what should be done with her. After that, we can move on to what our next steps with the humans will be." The elders were nodding their heads. "We are adjourned for the day."

Tatakohe smiled. Perfect.

* * *

"Munto, what happened in there?"

The instant the two of them had made it back to Munto's temporary quarters, Louie had rounded on his friend. "You did something stupid again, didn't you?"

"I know I shouldn't have said those things or grabbed that Horguze bastard, but they were threatening to make Yumemi the Outsider!" Munto growled back, pacing furiously. Even the small piece of consolation he'd received when Yumemi had used the rings to let him know that she had made it safely to the Magical Kingdom, had already worn off.

With this, Louie sat on the bed. "If that is what the Alliance feels is best, then that is the decision you have to abide by," he said softly. "The war is over – you will not be able to behave the way that did during the akuto crisis. During times of peace, it is your words that communicate your ideals, not actions."

Munto dropped his clenched fists to his side and glowered at the ceiling. "Spare me the lecture. I've heard it all before." Then he lowered his face and shot over a helpless smile. "Let me guess, you disagree with my order to hide Yumemi."

"As the aide to the head of the Heavenly Alliance, I cannot approve of you hiding away the very person that the council seeks. In your own country no less! It is a terrible political decision."

The king frowned again, but Louie continued.

"However, as the right hand to the king of the Magical Kingdom, I will always support any decision to protect the king and future queen of my country." He walked over and placed a firm hand on his friend's shoulder. "And as your best friend, I will stand by any decision that protects your happiness and that of your loved ones. No matter the rationale."

"Thank you, Louie." Munto held out his arm and two of them grasped forearms in the traditional handshake of magicians. "But you do realize, that she might say no. Yumemi isn't any keener on becoming a queen than she is the Outsider."

"Well, I think there is something to be said for how greatly she esteems you." Louie gave him a knowing look. "Although, personally I don't see the appeal-"

A knock at the door silenced them.

"My lord Munto, I have the results from today's session," a muffled voice said.

"Come in."

A small page boy, swathed in flowing purple robes and a velvet cap quietly entered the room. He bowed and then proceeded to deliver his message from a written scroll:

"The council has adjourned for this session, but will reconvene in three days. At that time, the Girl of Destiny will be presented to the assembly of the United Alliance for evaluation. It has been determined that his lordship Munto will be allowed to attend the interview, but will not be permitted to participate in the proceedings to eliminate any bias. His lordship Munto is also expected to do everything in his power to deliver the Girl of Destiny to the council. Any attempt to circumvent the intent of this request will be perceived as malevolence and punitive actions will be taken."

The little boy rolled up the scroll and bowed again. "Does my lordship have any questions for the council?"

"None. You may go."

Munto watched the boy leave and then took a deep breath to contain the anger that was beginning to boil up inside. "Three days. I have three days to figure something out." He held out a hand, preemptively cutting off the argument he knew was coming. "Don't tell me that this is a terrible idea and that I should behave properly."

"Oh no," Louie crossed his arms, a defiant look on his face. "I wouldn't dream of it. This reeks of a power play and it wouldn't surprise me if you said it was coming from Horguze. As you said, we have three days to outplay them all. Now let's get you back to the princess, shall we?"

* * *

Sheza led Yumemi through the forest, similar, yet different to the ones on Earth. The leaves on this plant here were much too big, the trunk of that tree over there was vaguely purple, and none of the flowers on Earth could glow in the dark. Following her guide, she allowed herself to be taken in by the exotic nature of it all.

They trekked for quite some time: in fact, the sun was already setting by the time they reached their final destination.

"Princess, we are here." Sheza pulled back some brush to reveal a beautiful lagoon, nestled against a cliff wall. Flowers and moss skirted the perimeter of the water while trees with sweeping fern-like leaves hid the secret spot from prying eyes. She ran up to look into the crystalline waters and was delighted to see gem-like stones of all sorts of different colors catching the last few rays of sunlight for the day.

"This way."

She looked up to see the healer wading into the water, towards the cliff. He turned to hold out his arms, clearly indicating that he would carry her. Much too tired to protest, she allowed herself to be swept into a firm grasp as they moved further into the depths.

The water lapped at her ankles and she realized her head would be completely submerged if she was standing on her own. Once again, she was grateful that all of Munto's retainers were so kind. Then she noticed that Sheza had stopped and was casting some sort of spell.

Green light swirled around a rectangle, outlining what appeared to be some sort of door. Moments later, a space opened where rock had been. Beyond the wall was a cavern of some kind, outfitted with modest furnishings: a shelf with a few knocked over books, what appeared to be a work bench, with small weapons and scraps of metal, and next to a flickering light was a bed. Sitting on the bed was…

"Munto!" She slipped down from Sheza's arms, her wet shoes squelching a little against the stone floor. As much as she wanted to run to him, she was extremely aware of Louie's and Sheza's stares. Luckily, the young heavenly being had no concerns whatsoever as he jumped up and raced over to pull her into an embrace.

"You're safe," he whispered, bending down slightly to meet her. She reached up to stroke his crimson hair. There was a slight cough and she blushed before withdrawing hurriedly.

Louie and Sheza were both looking to their king, clearly waiting for further instruction.

"What is going on?" Sheza was the first to break the silence. "Do you need me to get Harka, Marty, or Tail? Perhaps the Lady Ryuely?"

Munto held out an arm. "No, no one else may know that Yumemi is here." He proceeded to explain what had happened at the council, during the scuffle on Earth, and then the announcement back at the headquarters. "Everything is happening too quickly and the fewer people who know her hiding place, the better."

For the first time, Yumemi could see a flash of doubt cross the healer's face. Withholding information was clearly not something the Magical Kingdom retainers were used to and Munto's uncertainty was coming through the ring, clear and pronounced. She softly treaded over to Sheza and placed her tiny hand on his forearm. "I do not like keeping secrets either, if the others don't know anything, then they won't need to lie if asked." She smiled to reinforce her message. "It's only until we can figure out what is going on."

He opened his mouth as if to respond, but instead pulled back his hand to place it over his heart. He bowed slightly. "Yes, princess."

This reaction was quite confusing: it was one thing to be referred to as a princess, but another thing entirely to receive such formal deference. She looked to the others for clarification, but found Louie's hard stare and Munto's concerned gaze.

"Yumemi and I will discuss what we want to do next," Munto was saying. "We have three days until the council's next meeting. We have until then to make sense of all this." He walked over to Sheza, and in the same manner as Yumemi, placed a hand on the giant's forearm. "Thank you, for keeping this a secret. I am indebted to you for getting her here safely."

A slow smile spread on the healer's face. "Anything, Munto-sama."

With that, the tension seemed to ease, ever so slightly. Both retainers bid a good night and left Yumemi alone with Munto.

"Yumemi."

Unable to resist the call, she turned to face him.

He stood, tall and proud, with his arm outstretched, as he had so many times before. His golden eyes catching the flickering light, his dark coat contrasting against his fiery hair. This was the silhouette that she knew so well, the one that appeared in her dreams, her visions, and her memories. But something was different.

"Come." His command wavered almost imperceptibly, carrying a little less of the imperious weight that it normally did. He was always rather obstinate about letting his true emotions show and she had to let him know that everything was alright.

"You don't have to worry." She quietly made her way over to him and took a guess about the cause of the stress. "Sheza and the others will forgive you. Keeping secrets from your friends is hard, but this is only for a little while. They trust you."

"But apparently I don't trust them enough."

The following silence was prolonged and heavy as Yumemi attempted to make sense of the words that had just been uttered. Carefully, she led Munto back to the bed and sat him down, taking a seat next to him.

"You don't trust them?"

"I don't know!" The king ran his hand through his hair, tugging slightly in frustration. "They're my most seasoned aides – the ones that have been by my side since I was born. I trust them with my life, with your life – so why can't I trust them with keeping this secret?" He swept his arm to gesture at Yumemi and the cave in general. "There's no reason for mistrust, but I can't shake the feeling that I need to keep this under wraps."

Unfortunately, she didn't have anything to say to that; all she could do was sit beside him and continue to hold his hand.

"I mean, I know that someone is feeding information to the Horguze king; he knows too much for an outsider. But even so, there is no way a leak would come from Harka and the others. Someone must be watching us from some unknown location!"

"So let's even the playing field." Yumemi smiled at his confusion. It's always good to keep them on their toes. "You sense a threat because the Horguze know too much and they can use that against you politically. If you reveal all the information, then the Horguze can't be hiding anything."

"That would mean bringing you before the council. They'll interrogate you." Munto placed his hands on her shoulders, his eyes searching hers. "They will force you into becoming the Outsider."

She smirked a tiny bit. "I will go answer their questions and then I will leave. Simple as that. No one will force me to become anything I do not wish to be. And if they persist, well, I always have my trump card."

"What is that?"

"Haven't you heard from my mother? I'm a teenage girl. Rebelling is practically genetic."

* * *

Deep beneath the Alliance Headquarters, a shadow stirred. A cloaked figure moved through the darkness, with only the swish of fabric to mark its passage. Down into the dungeons did it go, avoiding all sources of light until it reached the most obscured cell in the entire building. Bars crisscrossed over a door, humming with magical energy.

The cloaked figure drew close to the door and whispered words that were lost under the thrum and buzz of the force fields.

"Excellent," came the raspy response. "Almost all the pieces are in place. You know what you need to do with the Lower Worlders."

There was a nod before a swirl of fabric faded into the night, leaving the owner of the raspy voice chuckling to himself.

* * *

Warmth was pressed against Munto's chest as he groggily blinked the sleep from his eyes. His muscles ached from having spent the night in a cramped position. With a jolt, he remembered. Nestled against his chest was a slumbering girl, her breath gently blowing stands of hair backwards and forwards.

His face reddened in embarrassment. She had spent most of the night assuring him, verbally and emotionally, that going before the council was the right decision. When he couldn't shake his instinct that it was a trap, she soothed his soul, wrapping him in feelings of love and support through the powers of their rings. He was truly blessed to have such wonderful people there to help hold him up.

A cloud drifted into his heart. Political intrigue had never been his strong suit and between his suspicions about the Horguze and the council, as well as the recent actions of the human military, he was out of his league. It was so much easier during a crisis – everything became extremely black and white. During these times of peace, he needed to be better than that! Despite Yumemi's best assurances, the seeds of doubt had taken root in his heart.

The girl shifted as she too roused from her sleep.

"Munto?" Green eyes flashed. "Is everything okay?

He sighed and drew her close again. "I wish Gass was here. I feel like I could use some wisdom to kick me into shape right now."

"Then let's bring him back."

"What?" He sat up, watching closely. "What do you mean, bring him back?"

"You said he survived in the void. Let's try to bring him back. Between the two of us, we should be able to do it."

"We don't know if he's still alive," he said, but he could feel his spirit lifting. Was it possible? With her, it just might be. He knew enough about the time-space magic that he could navigate the uncharted paths as long as he had Yumemi's fire power. Another worry floated into his mind. "You should not use the Outsider Magic."

She waved away his concern. "I have you by my side. One more use won't hurt me."

"Then, shall we?" Munto rose from the bed, helping her to her feet. That was when he noticed the state of her apparel. They had apparently fallen asleep in their clothes from yesterday: his were a bit rumpled, but her school uniform was completely wrecked.

Taking a minute, he conjured a new black outfit with a flowing white cape, with some difficulty. He had to shake his head a few times to clear his head. Manipulating the flow of akuto was a talent he possessed since birth. Requiring some amount of concentration was unnerving, but he put it down to lack of sleep.

Next, he swirled his cape around Yumemi to bring forth a new set of clothes for her as well. Again, a process that was normally instantaneous took him several minutes. In the end, he had to tweak her existing clothes, twisting and pulling them into a pale gown with a blue panel on the front, a small white cape and a large golden cap completed the look.

There was a tiny twinge of worry that ran through the ring on his finger: she was concerned about his magic. He shot her a confident smile, even though he knew that she would be able to discern his own imbalance.

Together, they left the cave hand in hand, traveling a short distance to one edge of the Magical Kingdom. The reddish light of the emerging dawn reflected off of their rings, creating an exquisite sparkle. A brisk wind tugged at the fabric of their clothes and Yumemi had to hold on to her hat to prevent it from flying away.

"Munto-sama?" A high voice trilled through the quiet. "Yumemi-sama?"

Both spun around to see the source – who would be out here in the middle of nowhere at this early hour?

A tiny imp-like girl with bright orange hair was rising from the edge of the floating island. She looked as surprised to see them as they were to see her. "What are you doing here?"

Munto needed to make a snap decision. Lying to one of his citizens was a level that he wasn't ready to sink to just yet, especially when the secret would mean so much to Irita. Glancing around, he beckoned her to under the giant leaves of a nearby tree. In fairly short order, he brought her up to speed, swore her to secrecy, and then, against his initial decision, told her about their plan to summon Gass.

Aware of the gravity of the situation, Irita silently listened, nodding where appropriate. Within a few minutes, Munto and Yumemi were ready to begin their attempt.

"Are you ready, Yumemi?"

"Are you sure this is necessary?" she asked, gesturing at the rather ornate clothing he had created for her.

"You should always look your best when going into battle – even if that foe is nothing more than fear and uncertainty."

"Then yes, I am ready."

He reached down to clasp her hand tightly before throwing a quick glance back at Irita, who stood anxiously with clasped hands. "It's time to bring him home."

Looking forward to the sky, the clouds swirled between them and they raised their entwined hands as one.

Munto reached deep within his memories, recalling the brief lessons he'd had with Gass about how to forge a path. Last time, his mentor had been the one to open the way between the worlds, but with Yumemi's raw power, he knew it would be possible once more.

The familiar black swirl of space-time magic flowed around their arms, curling in the air with the fluidity of water. A sharp spike in energy channeled through them, making both cringe slightly at the shock, but they held firm. Pushing away the repellent forces, slowly, carefully, until there was a tiny black bubble floating in front of them. It rippled with a mysterious blue tint, as it turned in on itself. He focused his full mental capacity at gently pulling, making the anomaly expand, but he was met with nontrivial resistance.

"Come on," he muttered as Yumemi added more fuel to the fire, boosting his efforts with her ability to tear into space-time.

Then, the bubble began to steadily shrink. The pair poured in more energy and concentrated harder than ever before, but this seemed to only make the bubble disintegrate faster. Within a minute, the entire abnormality disappeared with a pop.

The king dropped to his knees in exhaustion and so did his partner, both panting from the exertion.

"What happened?" Irita scampered over to them. "What went wrong?"

"I don't know," he replied. "I thought we had it."

Yumemi shook her head, "I can only push ahead. Without a guiding point, I think my energy was going all over the place."

She didn't have to say anything else; Munto knew what the problem was. He had been unable to focus on Gass, to drive their efforts towards a particular location. They might as well have been trying to rip apart all of space and time – they would never cut through the void without purpose. And that was his job.

About to demand to try again, he reevaluated: Yumemi was completely spent, ragged and worn down beyond belief, and would definitely require a long rest before trying again. His heart only sunk lower as he remembered the sight of her, slowly dying, as she was forced to create a space-time portal under Gridori's command. If he continued to push her like this, he would be no better than that twisted creature.

"Let's take a break shall we?" he helped her off the ground. "Maybe we can try later today when it gets dark. I don't want to hang around for too long while it's light out. We never know who is watching."

"You are correct. You never can tell who is watching." Irita was pushed aside as Tatakohe and a squadron of United Alliance guards in purple emerged from the surrounding brush. "We received a tip late last night that you had kidnapped the Girl of Destiny and were attempting to escape with her. It seems our information was correct."

"What are you doing here?" Munto instinctively moved Yumemi into a defensive position behind him.

His opponent raised his arms in an exasperated shrug. "Did I not just say? The alliance received information last night that you had kidnapped her," he pointed accusingly at Yumemi. "I am here to bring you in to answer for your blatant disregard for rules."

"Why are YOU here?"

"Well, the council decided to send me. Apparently they trust me more than they trust you." He nodded his masked face as a signal as the guard swarmed in, surrounding and separating the two. "Any attempt to teleport will result in dire consequences for your partner, understood?"

They were escorted back to a small airship, painted with the symbol of the Heavenly Alliance. Despite protests, Munto was shackled with a device that he'd never seen before: a smooth rectangle with spaces for his wrists glowed yellow with converted magical energy.

Curses! Magitech was not easily disabled and the Horguze were experts at it.

He was briefly relieved to see that Yumemi had not received the same treatment. Clearly they weren't aware of her full power – which did include a bit of magic. Unfortunately, she was untrained and therefore unlikely to utilize that power without aid. At least they weren't in prison cells, yet.

As the airship flew back to the Alliance headquarters, he tried to wrack his brain for what to do. This was the worst-case scenario: they were bringing them in before he really had a chance to brief Yumemi on what could happen, they had found him concealing her presence, and they apparently had even more information at their disposal than before. This was not the position of strength that he wanted to enter this battle with. But with little opportunity to speak before they arrived, there was nothing for it but to wing it and see what happened.

Once back at the headquarters, they were ushered to the main council meeting room, where the elders, rulers, and aides from each of the seven heavenly continents were seated. Even Lady Ryuely and Louie had been summoned, both looking on apprehensively. Munto was dragged to the front of the room.

"What is this about?" he asked the presiding elder who served as the moderator.

"Munto, lord of the Magical Kingdom, you are brought before the United Alliance to answer for your crimes."

From the lack of murmuring, it was pretty clear that everyone had been briefed on these proceedings. Everyone except for the Magical Kingdom contingent. Ryuely raised a hand to her face to cover her shock and Louie stood in protest.

"What crimes?" the young king asked. "What are you talking about?"

At this point, the moderator deferred to another member at the table. Tatakohe rose to speak.

"The most grievous charge is removing the Girl of Destiny from the custody of her own government, thus provoking a threat to take action if she is not returned within twenty-four Earth hours. This act is deemed to be treasonous as it not only throws the Heavens into a dangerous situation, but also demonstrates a blatant disregard for the direct orders of this body."

"That was for her own protection! They had taken her unwillingly from her parents and their home!"

"Regardless, the human military has been made aware of her powers and therefore, your 'heroism' is being interpreted as, and I quote: 'The theft of a weapon of massive destructive potential, which constitutes an act of hostility.'" He waved a piece of paper with Japanese written on it. "As previously stated, 'if the weapon is not returned within twenty-four hours, the Earth Defense Force will be given no option but to attempt to reclaim the weapon through any means necessary.'"

"That is suspicious. How would they know about her powers? We made sure to protect her identity."

"'We'?" Tatahoke prompted. "Who are you referring to? This council made no such decision."

Munto cursed under his breath: this interrogation was slipping out of his control. "Given Yumemi's age and situation, my advisors and I felt it was best to hide her involvement during the akuto crisis so she would not become a target."

"So you knowingly withheld information from this assembly."

At this point, the elder from Ender rose to address the group. "You are mistaken, young king of Horguze. We were aware of the identity of the Girl of Destiny from the moment that she created the flood of akuto that saved us during the crisis. The king of the Magical Kingdom was not malicious in his intent." He turned to the elders from Shozeto, Ryannei, and Ruhkon. "The other elders can confirm this."

"Well, we don't know for certain that his intentions were pure," said the elder from Ryannei, adjusting his red cap. "The akuto crisis was handled largely without our supervision and could have ended disastrously for us all. We were lucky that the situation did not end in misfortune."

"You senile fool," spat the Ender elder. "That is not what you said back then!"

"Silence, please." Tatakohe raised a hand. "The assembly does not recognize the elder from Ender at this time. Nor do I think we will for the rest of this session, given Ender's previous sympathies towards the Magical Kingdom."

The moderator nodded and decreed that Ender would not be permitted to speak for the rest of the meeting.

Munto watched the tragedy unfolding before him. If he didn't do something quick, that Horguze bastard was going to tear the Alliance apart.

"This does not change the fact that you had exclusive access to her powers," Tatakohe continued. "You even manipulated her emotionally to maintain further control over her."

The king's mouth dropped and he quickly looked back at Yumemi. She could not believe his lies!

But he was worried for nothing. Yumemi stood resplendent in her elegant robes, tall and proud, with the all-too-familiar defiant look in her eyes. She stepped forward soundlessly and then opened her mouth to attack.

"You are sorely mistaken, sir. My participation in the events that joined our worlds together was completely voluntary. The king never coerced me in any manner – I do believe that was the job of your former general, Gntarl, no?"

Even behind the mask, there was no mistaking the snide confidence flowing from Tatakohe. "While the council appreciates your perspective, Girl of Destiny, it does not change the fact that Munto sought to cover your powers."

"My name is Hidaka Yumemi."

"Excuse me?"

She crossed her arms and Munto could feel pride swell up in his heart. That's my girl! Holding her own against that bastard!

"My name is Hidaka Yumemi, not 'Girl of Destiny'. I have never pledged my service to any country or ruler. I am my own person – not a weapon."

"Then you admit that you have the Outsider powers over space and time." Tatakohe examined a piece of paper in front of him. "And of course the magical powers similar to those of a magician."

Munto's blood ran cold. No one should have known about that. Few within the kingdom knew that she had passed the magician's test. There had been the day they merged the worlds, where she had displayed her own pink battle magic, but the only witnesses had been himself and her two friends. And of course Gntarl, but he was locked in a cell.

He could tell that Yumemi was also a bit shaken. She made eye contact with him, a little fearful and uncertain. She was probably not even aware of what he was referring to since they had never bothered to discuss the logistics of magic in depth.

"By keeping you hidden away, the Magical King prevented us from having access to a power that is traditionally available to all the Heavenly continents."

"He did no such thing!" Yumemi raised her voice, trembling slightly at first, but gaining strength as she continued. "I am not the Outsider you seem to desire. But if you truly need a guardian of space and time, I know where you can find one!"

Without any hesitation, she flung out her arms and closed her eyes as a wind started up, tossing her hair in every direction. The familiar lightning of space-time magic crackled through the air as a dark spot appeared, fluid and shifting.

"Yumemi, don't!" Munto yelled, running over to her, but he was pushed back by the extreme force of the space-time portal. "You'll get hurt doing it by yourself!" Guards gathered around him, blocking further movement.

Faster than he had ever seen before, the portal to the void opened, right there in the conference room. He kept his eyes on Yumemi the entire time, acutely aware that she was sweating profusely and pallor was settling over her face.

"Yumemi, stop!" He screamed, trying to barge through the wall of guards, who blocked his path. She couldn't keep doing this. Her determination was feeding through to him via the ring, but he could also feel the building pain. "Stop, please!"

"What is that?" Many of the rulers had darted around to the far end of the room, but many were still concerned when a shadow appeared in the portal. "Blast it down!"

Several guards were drawing miniature MagiTech cannons, aimed at the portal. "Fire!"

Magical blasts shot forward with great velocity. The first one hit the target, exploding. Then a second, a third, and a fourth.

"Was that really necessary?" A deep voice called out as the echoes of the thunderous attacks faded.

Out of the smoke stepped Gass, the Outsider, Guardian of Space and Time. He knelt before Yumemi and swept his arm over her face. Immediately, her eyes closed and she crumpled into his remaining arm. With a second gesture, the person-sized portal was surrounded by the space-time runes before collapsing on itself.

"Yumemi!" Munto pushed past the guards, who were too stunned to do anything. He fell to his knees before his old mentor, heart thudding in his chest. Her complexion was much too pale and there were no emotions coming from the ring. "Is she okay?"

Gass gave him a stern look. "I warned you about this: the Outsider magic is not something that just anyone can harness. She was pushing herself to the brink: she has done some serious damage to herself."

No one else dared to say a word as Gass turned over her hands and Munto fell back. Her hands were almost completely black, for all the space-time runes that crisscrossed over her skin.

"Can you do something about it?" he asked. "You can fix this right?"

"A basic tenant of the Outsider power is that only the Outsider has immunity to the curse. Thank goodness she was not using it for personal gain, or otherwise this would be permanent." Gass glowered at the young king. "You were foolish to allow her to do this."

He was about to counter, but he realized that any reasons he could give would only be excuses. "I'm sorry, Gass."

"Don't apologize to me. Apologize to her once you have fixed this."

Now Munto was confused. "When I…?"

"Did I not just say that only the Outsider has immunity to the curse? The only course of remedy is to make her the Outsider." He met Munto with a hard look. "Hence, why this is something that you can do."

"I don't understand," the king murmured, feeling as lost as when he ascended to the throne after his parents had returned to the akuto. Completely untethered and trying to find his true path.

Unfortunately, it seemed Tatakohe did comprehend what had just transpired. "Lord Munto has the powers of the Outsider?" He pointed an accusatory finger at him. "How long have been you hiding that from us?"

The rest of the room erupted into chaos and confusion.

Elders and rulers alike started screaming orders, demanding clarification. Multiple corned Ryuely and Louie, threatening unless they divulged everything they knew. The guards once again surged on Munto, dragging him to his knees. He fought against them, but their numbers were great. Gass was shackled and lead away. Some strangers in pale robes picked up Yumemi and whisked her out of the room.

"No! You cannot take Yumemi! She will die of that curse if we don't do something!" Munto yelled, wrestling with his jailors.

"You do nothing!" Tatakohe yelled back at him. The rest of the clamor died, focusing instead on the two young kings that were facing off. In a calmer voice, he continued. "If what Gass said is true, that you are the rightful possessor of the Outsider magic, then the law is clear: you cannot be the ruler of one of the Heavenly Continents, for the Outsider sits above all."

He snapped his fingers and two of the guards braced Munto, holding out his cuffed hands. Then the Horguze king sauntered forward, taking Munto's hand in his owns.

To the Magical King's horror, Tatakohe slid off his father's ring.

"No! That's mine! It belongs to me!" He yelled and struggled in vain against the strong hold of the guards. "That was my father's!"

"This is the symbol of the ruler of the Magical Kingdom. You are no longer the king, Munto, therefore this ring does not belong to you." Tatakohe held out his hand, the ring nestled in his palm. "This will remain in possession of the council until a new king can be appointed."

"You have no right to do this!" Now Louie was storming over towards the ring. "On what authority do you assume to have such power to dethrone the rightful heir to the Magical Kingdom?"

"It is the will of the council," remarked one of the elders. "We were prepared for such an outcome. It is unfortunate, but this is the consequence of rash thinking and short sightedness. The king was given ample warning that punitive measures would be taken should he continue to refuse to cooperate."

"That is preposterous!" Louie sputtered. "You are all overstepping your bounds, as you well know."

"Guards, see this person to the door. As there is no king, there can be no aide, and therefore, this individual is nothing more than a civilian." Tatakohe practically snarled.

"Munto! Go! Now!" Louie yelled as the guards forcibly removed him from the room. "Get Princess Yumemi and go!"

Shaking out of his stupor, Munto tried to focus on his special person, but for some reason he could not form a clear picture in his head. Every time he tried to draw up details about her eyes, her hair, her clothes, the way she smelled, everything blurred, like the rippling surface of the water.

This should be so easy for him! He had been teleporting since he was a small child – jumping to someone he knew should come naturally!

But it did not.

"Munto! What is wrong?" Louie yelled again. Noticing the king was apparently in shock, the blue-haired man shouldered his way through the crowd, slid deftly between the other rulers and aids. He jumped over outstretched arms and landed next to Munto.

Without a second thought, he pictured somewhere safe, somewhere far away, and then they vanished.

* * *

 **A/N:** Here we go! Poor Munto - how will he come out of this one? And don't worry - Yumemi is not down for the count - not by a long shot.

Let me know what you think! I know this one has quite a different feel to it than the last two.


	3. Chapter 3 - Splintering

**Chapter 3 - Splintering**

Munto and I believed ourselves to be invincible: if we were together, we could accomplish any feat, bring about any future. We naively trusted that the two of us could broker a peace between our peoples. What we had not anticipated was how easily that would shatter if our hearts were unable to connect. Whether we could find our way out of the darkness was yet to be decided.

* * *

Ichiko pulled back her curtain to glance outside before angrily jerking the fabric closed. The members of the Something-Or-The-Other Defense Force were still posted outside her house. They had come around, peddling a story that Yumemi was being threatened by the "Akutoloids," and needed to be taken into custody for protection as a result.

It didn't a genius to realize what was going on. Even if the distraught call from Mr. Hidaka minutes before the arrival of the military wasn't a dead giveaway, the military's heavy-handedness of the situation was enough to make anyone suspicious.

"Yeah, right," she muttered, thinking back to when they had first shown up. "The only thing she needs protection from is you lot."

It would be a lie to say she wasn't worried. One of her best friends was apparently taken by the military yesterday and had not been seen since. Luckily, judging by the fact that observational units were still stationed in the neighborhood, the defense force had lost track of her.

A Yumemi whose whereabouts were unknown was much better than a Yumemi trapped in a compound somewhere. The chances that she had managed to escape with Munto were high.

She sighed. If only there was a way to confirm her friend was safe! Suzume and Kazuya had not heard anything after the initial distress calls from the Hidaka's.

Suddenly, the curtains began to billow as a wind rushed around the room, knocking over picture frames and scattering her half-completed homework that was lying on her desk.

"What?!" she quickly scooted to the door, ready to run. Mysterious air patterns inside a house usually meant someone or something was coming. Friend or foe: she couldn't be sure.

A small, colorful vortex swirled in the center of the room. It emitted a strange light that intensified until Ichiko had to raise her arms to cover her eyes from the blinding glare.

When the light finally faded away, Ichiko lowered her arms and blinked.

In the middle of her room, collapsed on her carpet was the King of the Magical Kingdom and his right-hand man.

"Louie? What on earth?" She dashed over ignoring the king as she helped the blue-haired man sit up. Most of his weight fell onto her, causing her to stumble a little bit and she took a closer look at the pair.

Louie was sweating and gasping for air, his pale face looking a shade paler than usual.

"What's wrong?"

He turned to face her and gave her a weak smile. "I am not used to teleporting such long distances." He glanced down at his king. "Especially not when carrying such a burden." He returned to look at her and continued to explain as he caught his breath. "My apologies…for not sending…word. There was…not much time…and you were the…only one I could…think of."

This minor confession made Ichiko redden slightly, but she shook her head to hide the embarrassment. Then a thought popped into her head.

"Where is Yumemi? Isn't she with you?"

As if awoken by the mention of his love's name, Munto stirred at Ichiko's question. "What happened?" He pushed himself up and looked around in confusion. His eyes focused on Ichiko and after a moment, there was a glimmer of recognition. "What happened?"

Then he saw Louie's weakened state and he crawled a few paces to reach him. "You fool!"

Ichiko reached out and gripped Munto's arm, digging her nails into his black sleeve. "Where. Is. Yumemi?"

He flinched as though he'd been struck in the face and he appeared to be searching for the words that were failing him.

Louie tugged on her shirt. "Ono-san…let me…explain." And so he proceeded to outline the events: that freeing Yumemi from the soldiers, spiriting her away to the Magical Kingdom, before Munto and Yumemi had been caught by the Heavenly council guards and brought before the assembly.

"…It was revealed that Munto is the Outsider. The…entire room…was in an uproar. The princess…was taken away…with Gass…I had to…get him out of there…" At this point, he was genuinely upset. "I am sorry…I did not mean…to abandon…the princess…"

Ichiko gave him an empathetic smile. "It's fine. You did everything that you could do in the situation. I'm not going to blame you for that." Raising her head, she regarded the forlorn magical king with contempt. "But I will absolutely blame you."

His head snapped up. "What did you say?"

"Your job was to protect to Yumemi! How could you let her do that? You should have found a way to stop her. You know what she's like!" She knew she wasn't being entirely fair, given that Yumemi could be as headstrong as they came, but someone needed to be held accountable. "It's your fault that she's injured and locked away somewhere."

"What was I supposed to do?" he shot back, glowering.

"I don't know! Aren't you a magician? Couldn't _you_ have teleported her away, instead of forcing Louie into this position?"

Rather than a violent rebuttal, Munto was quiet. "I could not."

Now both Louie and Ichiko paused, facing him with concern as he explained. "Something has affected me. Yesterday when I was trying to practice magic, it was sluggish, awkward even. It took me much too much effort to complete even simple spells." His voice dropped. "I wanted to teleport. To teleport her away from that place, but when the time came, my magic failed me."

Most of Ichiko's anger dissipated. A tiny piece of her was still furious that her friend was in dire straits while her so-called protector was moping around in a puddle of self-pity, but worry was beginning to eat away at her.

It was Louie who broke the sullen silence. He reached out to place a hand on Munto's forehead. Was it just him, or did the king look wan?

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"If I had to describe it, it's like the time that I descended to the Lower World, back before we merged. Right now, everything is heavy and even the thought of trying to draw akuto is tiring."

"Can you try?"

Louie did not where this was heading. At that time in the Lower World, Munto was left without an akuto supply, unable to sustain himself for an extended period of time. It was alarming that his friend should be experiencing the same sort of sensation on Earth, where there was plenty of akuto to be had.

Even now, Louie was drawing on akuto from Ichiko's home to help himself recover quickly. If Munto could not access even that – then something was amiss.

Both of them watched as Munto strained to raise his arm. Several minutes of intense concentration later, nothing had happened except that beads of sweat were now rolling down his temples. He dropped his arm and started breathing sharply.

Louie shared a wide-eyed glance with Ichiko. What was going on?

* * *

The first sensation that Yumemi was aware of upon waking up was a biting pain in her hands that both burned and froze with alarming intensity. She found herself clenching her teeth as she brought her hands up to her face.

Black tattoos were etched into her skin, slowly turning and shifting. Each time the pattern moved, a thousand tiny razor blades raked across the back of her hand. She could not resist the urge to shiver, her nerves completely shot from the pricks traveling up and down the rest of her arms.

Lowering her hands, she stilled, in the hope that being motionless would reduce the agony. When there was no change, she took a deep breath and then sat up on her berth.

She was in a room, more metallic and bare than the rooms at the palace in the Magical Kingdom. It was certainly lacking in ornaments or any frivolous decoration, almost to the point that pushed the line between business-like and prison.

"Are you well, Girl of Destiny?" A deep voice resounded from the other side of the room.

Sitting across from her, on a bed, was a man that Yumemi had only seen from a distance and in the visions once shown to her by Munto. Tan skin marked with similar black patterns to her own, one arm missing, and a face set in stone: this must be Gass.

Hesitantly she raised her hands, palms facing away. "I am well, except for these. They hurt a bit."

"No need to be modest with me," Gass said as he rose to walk over to her bed. Using his singular arm, he gestured to his marked body. "I am well acquainted with the crippling pain you must be feeling right now."

He took a few seconds to closely investigate her hands, careful not to accidentally brush against her.

Yumemi could not resist asking what she already knew in her heart. "Is this the space-time curse?"

"It is. This is something that I warned Munto about: if you continued to make use of the space-time magic, one day the curse would rebound to you." He met her gaze with a dark look. "You were very foolish to take on this burden for the sake of bringing me back."

She brindled at that comment. "I don't think it was foolish. The council was going on and on about who was going to be the Outsider. I think it was perfectly straight forward to bring the real Outsider back to make matters right again."

There was a heavy silence.

"I am no longer qualified to be in that position. The power now lies with Munto."

Blinking, Yumemi tried to make sense of this.

"Does that mean Munto is the new Outsider?"

Gass sighed. "Do you know how the curse works?"

Yumemi shook her head.

"When the Heavens wanted to split off from the Lower World, some of the most talented magicians created a powerful spell to ensure that no one would attempt to cross the continuities. Anyone who tried to do so, would be cursed with crippling pain that will continue to expand until the entire body is consumed."

Yumemi glanced down at her hands again. "What makes the Outsider special? Why are they immune?"

"The Outsider has a special counter spell that protects them, provided they follow the rules."

"Are you saying Munto has this counter spell?"

With a solemn nod, Gass continued. "During the akuto crisis, I transferred the mark to Munto so that he might travel to your world. It was at that moment that I technically ceased to be the Outsider."

Quietly, Yumemi reflected. That was the winter when Munto appeared to her in the amusement park, just before they went through the ordeal of creating the pillar.

"Then Munto is the Outsider?" Seeing Gass shake his head again, she questioned. "Why not?"

"True, Munto now possesses the mark and I have trained him in the basics of space-time manipulation, but there is one more ritual he needs to complete before he can become the fully-fledged Outsider." He sighed. "I had intended to let the role of Outsider die with me, but it seems that will not be possible."

Curious, Yumemi pushed herself to the edge of her bed, to see Gass better. "Then why not let it die with you?"

"Do you wish to remain cursed until the end of your much shortened life?" His answer was stern and his withering glare was hard.

Now she felt mildly irritated. "I don't see why Munto needs to become the Outsider to remove my curse. I can find a way to lift the curse myself."

"It is not that simple, Hidaka Yumemi." Gass stood and moved over to her bed, towering above her. "The curse was designed in such a way that only the Outsider could reverse the effects. Right now, the Heavens are without an Outsider, but Munto is by far the most qualified."

"Can't you take the mark back and become the Outsider again?" Yumemi challenged. Why was it that everyone thought in terms of black and white? Why could they not see that it was always possible to forge a new path?

His answer was charged with a mild hint of exasperation. "Once the mark has been given away, it cannot be reclaimed. Taking on the role of the Outsider is a lifelong commitment and not something to be undertaken lightly. It is a power that cannot simply be swapped."

Seeing her eyes widen slightly in fear, he calmed himself. "The road of the Outsider is a lonely and painful one. It is not one that I would wish on anyone who was not prepared for the consequences. I sincerely wished that Munto took my advice and allowed the power to fade away."

Her next question came tentatively. "What if I were to become the Outsider?" She hastened to clarify. "Hypothetically speaking, what would that entail?"

With this, Gass knelt and gently smiled at her with an almost wistful expression. "That would destroy you – and him."

He held out his hand and twinkling in his palm was Yumemi's ring. She looked up in surprise. "When did you-?"

Giving her no answers, he delicately placed the golden band in her hand. "To become Outsider is to abandon your family, your friends, even your country. I could no sooner ask you to cut those ties than I could ask Munto."

"But if I'm not supposed to become Outsider, and Munto isn't supposed to either, then who is?"

His smile was a knowing one, full of hidden secrets. "Alas, I do not possess the Lady Ryuely's future sight. I am afraid you will need to find that answer on your own."

Yumemi had no time to ask additional questions, because that very second, someone swept into the room.

Dark red mask, white feathered headdress, with tanned skin beneath a crisscrossed sash, Tatakohe looked very much the spitting image of her long-time foe. Yumemi's mouth was set in a grim line, determined not to give the villain any satisfaction.

"Girl of Destiny," his mask turned towards Gass, "Outsider, or rather, what should we call you now that you no longer possess the power?"

"Gass is fine," came the deep reply.

Tatakohe returned his attentions to Yumemi. "I am here to inform you that the council will be speaking to you again. I encourage you to consider your options and come prepared with a favorable answer."

"And what favorable answer might that be?"

"That you will become the Outsider, instead of Munto."

"Why should I do that?" Yumemi opted not to reveal what Gass told her moments before – partially because she wasn't sure whether or not the Outsider power _could_ be transferred, even if she wanted to.

"Think on this for but a moment – if you become the Outsider, then Munto is freed from those responsibilities. It would be trivial to reinstate him as the king of the Magical Kingdom – the council would need only to return his ring and the deed would be done."

Yumemi glared. "Why can't Munto be Outsider and king?"

"There is a system of checks and balances. We could not allow one being to possess such a large amount of power. If that were indeed the case, the Heavens would be powerless to prevent a coup d'état should Munto feel in the mood."

"How is that different than the war-mongering you're doing right now?" Yumemi snapped back.

He shook his head. "I am not war-mongering."

"Then what do you call this?"

"I merely wish to rule over the Heavens, a position held by the Magical Kingdom for millennia. New leadership is in order." Tatakohe smiled. "I am not impulsive or violence driven, like Munto."

"You seem just like Gridori to me."

To her surprise, he raised his hands to his face and smoothly slid off his mask to reveal a young man around Munto's age, with bright blue eyes and silvery white hair. He had strong features, but nothing that resembled the monster that Yumemi was sure lived behind the red mask.

"And now?"

Yumemi did not have an answer for him as he concealed his face once more.

"You have two options before you, Girl of Destiny. Become the Outsider or watch as Munto does. If you choose to accept the responsibility, Munto can still be saved. If you do not, then Munto will be forced to abandon his kingdom. Either way, you have until tomorrow afternoon to make your decision."

"Why is that?" Yumemi had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"We will be officially at war with the humans." He walked to the door. "And do you really want to be the cause of that?"

* * *

Ichiko pulled back her curtains for what must have been the millionth time that day. Keeping one eye on the fatigued Heavenly Beings, she carefully scanned outside. The soldiers' patterns were changing: more were holding brief discussions in small groups.

One trio that were particularly close to her front gate turned to stare in her direction. Resisting the urge to quickly drop below her window sill, she turned on her fiercest stare before letting the drapes fall back into place.

"They know."

At this, Louie locked eyes with her. "We've been discovered?"

Cautiously, with a soft voice, she clarified. "I think they know someone or something is hiding here. We need to leave."

"We will leave. You will remain here," Munto said with a stern countenance, before he grabbed his head with his hands.

"Like hell I will," Ichiko retorted. "You're both falling to pieces. It's only a matter of time before one of you collapses."

"I am feeling much improved," Louie informed her, stretching stiffly. He was unable to keep the grimace off his face as one stretch punched swift pain through his core. Under Ichiko's knowing look, he admitted: "Not improved enough for much of an escape plan."

At this, Ichiko grew pensive. She whipped out her phone and rapidly swiped her fingers to shoot off a text message. Seconds later came a ping, which made her smile in response.

She nodded to the two Heavenly Beings. "Katsuya and Suzume are on their way."

Sure enough, about thirty minutes later, as the guards outside were beginning to make a move, the two teenagers arrived. With a death glare, Ichiko staved off any action the military might have taken against the pair, and let her friends inside.

"Ah! It's 'Ore-sama'!"

Ichiko couldn't help but roll her eyes. Count on Suzume to remain the same, no matter the situation. She turned to Suzume's more practical boyfriend.

"Did you bring what I asked?"

He nodded, slinging his backpack onto the floor. He pulled out some garments. "Although I doubt much of this will fit them." Viewing Munto and Louie critically, he also commented, "And they are much larger than we are. Even I think the police will notice."

"This was the only thing I could think of!" Ichiko started pacing. "Do you have a better idea for how to sneak the two of them out of my house without magic?"

"Ono-san."

Louie's voice interrupted her agonized situation.

"I can perform magic – I am not so weak that I am unable to complete basic spells." Gesturing to himself, he offered a weak smile, "Even in such a state."

Now Kazuya was nodding along. "Would you be able to cast battle magic in such a way that the source of the magic wasn't obvious?"

"In a sort of remote deployment?"

"That's it. If we can create a diversion away from the house, we may be able to get away. But if they knew the spell came from here, then they would be more cautious."

"Hence the untraceable source."

"Exactly."

Ichiko was a bit unnerved by the sudden comradery that seemed to have sprung up between the two young men, but she wasn't about to be left out of the fun.

"And they can put on the clothes," she noticed Suzume's mischievous grin and coughed, "so they are less noticeable when we're on the streets." When her friend's knowing look wasn't abated, she shot back a look of her own: _I'm not saying that just because I want to see Louie in Earth clothing!_

"We'd better get started," Kazuya was saying. "Based on how restless our friends outside were, we will want to get out of here quickly. They looked ready to break in any minute."

A few moments later, capes and coats were traded for hoodies, with the extras stored away in Kazuya's backpack. As predicted, the sweaters had been much too shirt, especially for Munto, but Louie had managed to elongate their disguises to cover both their torsos.

The group crept downstairs and pooled behind the front door.

"On my mark, Louie will fire off the spell in that direction," Kazuya pointed behind the house with his thumb. "We will make a break for the abandoned shopping center. It's a little far, but no one goes there anymore. Is everyone clear on what we need to do?"

"What is going on here?"

Mr. Ono had decided to make an appearance. He frowned at the group. "Ichiko, what is going on? Who are these people?" When he noticed Kazuya and Suzume his frown transformed from angry confusion to weariness. "You're not doing anything stupid are you?"

"No, sir." Kazuya spoke up. "But the less you know, the better."

There was a great sigh from Mr. Ono, but he still rolled up his sleeves. "Let me know what I can do to help."

On the spot, Louie and Kazuya locked gazes.

"That could work."

"We'll go with that."

"Care to tell the rest of us what's going on?" Ichiko was a bit miffed by the "bro-mance" that was growing in front of her.

"Kazuya-san will run out the back door, while Ono-san's father will chase him out, giving the impression that one us," Louie gestured to himself and Munto, "are trying to escape."

"Meanwhile, Louie will cast the spell off to the east, hopefully distracting more of the guards," Kazuya added. "Suzume and Munto will head out through the front door."

"Then what I am supposed to do?"

Louie placed a hand on her shoulder. Ichiko's eyes flicked to the appendage as though it was fairy that might disappear at any moment. "You will climb out one of the windows and run west. Once I am done with the spell, I will teleport to your location."

Munto was about to protest, but Louie stopped his friend. "You are in no position to argue: you are weak and we don't know what's causing the problem. You will go with Imamura-san; she will show you where the meetup point is."

Unhappy, but in no mood to put up any real sort of fight, Munto acquiesced. Mr. Ono and Kazuya moved to the back door. Ichiko crouched underneath one of the first floor windows. Suzume and Munto waited by the front door, hands clasped, ready to run.

Louie edged up to another window and carefully focused his attention on the near horizon. Far enough to buy them some time, but still close enough that the guards would pursue in person. Taking aim, he gathered sparkling blue energy in the palm of his hand that abruptly disappeared.

Something big and brilliant exploded in the sky. That was the signal.

Everyone burst out of the house in that moment. Between the teenage girl bolting out the window, the two mismatched teens jumping out the front, another young man being chased down by the owner of the house, and the explosion, the guards had no idea where to focus their attention.

Some of them stormed the house, but Louie was already casting the teleportation spell. All the military were able to find were some curtains settling down, apparently after a gust of wind had somehow formed…inside…the house?

"Captain!" More guards entered the house. "What should we do with this one?" Hooded and struggling, Kazuya's arms were caught in the iron grips of two military men.

"I don't care what you do with him – just get that alien out of my house!" Mr. Ono was still maintaining the pretense, but the guards were looking at him strangely.

"Ono-san," Kazuya shook his head, "the game is up."

"Oh." Mr. Ono smiled. "I see." He wound up and socked one of the guards under the chin, knocking him off his feet. Then he hooked the other with his left arm. "Then run!"

Kazuya scrambled to his feet and dashed out the front door.

* * *

Munto had rarely felt so fatigued in all of his life. Luckily, his escape partner was very small – it was fairly easy for him to maintain stride with her. As they ran, the pounding in his head that had started some time ago intensified, but in spite of the pain, he tried to shake it off as they ran down some side streets.

Sometime later, they arrived at a derelict building, with shattered glass windows and some discarded "KEEP OUT" signs. Yumemi's friend walked over to one of the sliding doors and gingerly stepped around the glass. Seeing him frozen in place, she offered her hand, much in the same way that a child reaches out for their parent.

Surprisingly, he accepted her tiny gesture and ducked through the doorway. Silently, the two walked down a corridor of chipped tiles and dirty store front displays. Finding a bench, the girl sat down and started humming a little song while she waited. Exhausted, Munto sank down next to her.

The first to arrive was Yumemi's bossy friend – Ichiko? Appearing right behind her was Louie, materializing from a teleportation.

Ichiko looked around, "Did Kazuya get caught?" Suzume didn't seem to have a care in the world, presumably everything was alright.

"Nope!" There was a text message from the boy in question, announcing that he was on his way.

Louie knew there wasn't any time to waste. "I am going to get Sheza."

"No." Munto stood. There would be no more sacrifices – no more friends who would get roped into this mess. "You are not recovered enough to go," he supplied as a reason.

"Look again." Louie challenged.

Taking him up on that challenge, Munto evaluated his friend. It was as he said: with the abundant amount of akuto on Earth, clearly he had been able to replenish his stores and was ready to go for another round of spellcasting. Worn, Munto nodded to give his consent.

With a rush of wind, Louie disappeared.

Then the waiting game began.

Humid air, heavy with moisture lazily blew through the shopping center. Munto was already sweating, but now it felt like he was swimming. Air would not pull properly into his lungs. His arms were dead weights. Even coherent thought was becoming more difficult to manage. The only action he could take was to lean back on the rusted bench.

Kazuya trotted in a few minutes after Louie's departure, but Munto did not possess the energy to even care.

Suddenly, the wind swirled, causing a massive dust storm as the air unsettled years of dirt. When all had died down, everyone could see the giant that Louie brought back with him.

Sheza immediately went to Munto to scan for symptoms. Meanwhile, Louie dropped to one knee, once again drained from bringing yet another person across an impossible distance. The Ichiko girl sprinted to his side, offering him a hand.

"Munto-sama, what did you do?" The green light from Sheza's hands faded. "Louie, what did he do?"

"What's wrong?" Louie limped over with the help from Ichiko.

"He's losing akuto at an alarming rate."

 _'Ah'_ , Munto thought, _'I thought I had felt this before. This is what it feels like when there is no akuto left and you start fading away.'_

"What can we do?"

Sheza shook his head. "This is not a physical ailment that I can heal. For whatever reason, he is not drawing akuto. I cannot help him." His hands were clenched in giant fists.

Ichiko appraised the situation. Munto was about ready to fall unconscious and even the best healer in their kingdom could not help. But she knew someone who could.

"We need Yumemi." Everyone save Munto looked up at her. "She's the only one. Together they can overcome anything. We need to bring her here."

"Ono-san, who can do that?" Louie was panting slightly next to her. "As you can see, I am not ready to teleport again, Sheza cannot perform the magic, and Munto is…" he trailed off.

"Then let me and Ichiko go!"

Now everyone turned to give Suzume incredulous looks. She shrugged. "We're magicians too – the weird fat and skinny ones said so. So, we should be able to do the teleport-y thing."

Louie oscillated his gaze between the two girls thoughtfully. "Pair teleportation is an incredibly advanced skill that even the Girls of Destiny could not master in time." He settled on Ichiko. "But one of you could probably make the journey."

"I can do it!" Ichiko found herself volunteering. All of her life, she was there for Yumemi – of course she would help her friend.

Searching her eyes and making her blush a deep red, Louie seemed to find an answer and nodded. "You will go. Kazuya." He called over his shoulder. "Please get out my cloak."

Blue cloak in hand, he draped the heavy material around Ichiko's shoulders. "You will find that teleportation can be a cold experience." He noticed that the fabric, which landed around the middle of his calves, was pooling on the ground. Smiling slightly, he tweaked the length so she wouldn't trip.

"Ono-san, I need you to close your eyes. Imagine Yumemi-sama." Behind closed lids, Ichiko pulled up an image of Yumemi dressed in her school uniform. Then the image rippled, like a reflection in a puddle. When the water settled, she could see Yumemi is a magician's outfit of blue and white.

"That is what the princess was last wearing," Louie murmured. In that quiet voice, he finished explaining how the spell worked. When he was done, he stepped away unsteadily. "Now, give it a try, Ono-san."

Ichiko took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing!"

* * *

 _'Why was everyone so difficult?'_ Yumemi fumed. _'Become the Outsider or we go to war! Force Munto to become the Outsider or we go to war! Do nothing and we go to war!'_

Was there no future open to them that did not involve their worlds destroying each other?

One thing was certain: if the Heavens and the Lower World were to come out of this in one piece, both sides would need capable leaders would could see past their ambitions and listen to reason. There was no hope of that with the Horguze king at the helm. The Heavens needed Munto – not as the Outsider, but as the ruler of the Magic Kingdom, driving the United Alliance towards peace.

Then what about herself? She closed her eyes to let herself drift as a pale blue essence in a sea of tranquil black.

Could she leave her mother, father, and brother? Abandon Ichiko, Suzume, and Kazuya? To forsake the very world she grew in and loved? Even in the Heavens she would be alone, for the United Alliance would never allow her to show such favoritism to one Heavenly nation.

Did she possess the strength to take on that role?

How could she possibly push that responsibility to someone else?

Crippling pain sliced through her hands. Eyes wide open, she watched as the black symbols on her hands slowly wound their way past her wrists and inched up her forearms. Gasping, she couldn't avoid letting out strangled whimpers. Tears streamed from her eyes as she grit her teeth and tried to stop herself from screaming.

Gass was by her side in an instant. He immediately placed his hand over her arms and furrowed his brow in concentration.

"…No…don't…" Yumemi whispered, but the pain was too great.

The pain subsided to a dull ache, returning to the sensation of thousands of pricks piercing her skin. At least she could breathe normally again. Blinking, she cleared her eyes and then gasped in shock.

Sweating heavily, Gass was sitting on the ground, but where his second arm used to be, was now a stub to match his missing limb.

"Gass- you shouldn't" she started, but he shook his head.

"This was my decision," he said. "That should slow the curse for now." He tipped his chin towards her arms.

Halfway up her forearm were the familiar swirls of the curse, but instead of ragged edges, there were thick black bands running perpendicular, giving her the appearance of long, lace gloves. The new lines were more structured, with barrier lines stopping the advancement of the curse.

"But your arms," Yumemi looked up worriedly.

"If anything happened to you, Munto would never recover. You are necessary; I am not."

 _'But that's not true. You are just as necessary to Munto as I am.'_ Concerned, she looked down at her hands. There must be some way to escape – the question was how?

* * *

"Waaaaaaah!" Ichiko yelled as she materialized, summersaulting onto the marble, she rolled and slid into a wall. "Ouch," she rubbed her head and shins from the impact.

"Hey, you!" Tall guards in purple robes with silver headdresses called her out.

"Shoot!" She scrambled to her feet and began running down the hallway. "I thought the spell was supposed to bring me to Yumemi! This wasn't supposed to happen!" Her boots kept slipping on the smooth flooring.

Ducking around a corner, she leaned against a great stone door. Flicking her head from side to side, she scanned for more enemies. Judging from their footsteps, the guards would be here any moment; this place wasn't safe anymore.

Before she could sprint away, the door opened and she tumbled inside a dimly lit room. Whirling around, she took a defensive stance, ready to clobber whoever had just abducted her.

Raising a delicate finger to indicate silence, a tall woman with flowing blue hair that Ichiko vaguely recognized as the Lady Ryuely beckoned her further into the room. Complying, she heard the stampede of boots echoing down the hallway.

"You are one of the Girls of Destiny." The priestess's mellow voice helped to sooth Ichiko's adrenaline-induced tension. "I see you came a long way."

"I'm looking for Yumemi. Munto is sick and we need to get Yumemi to him or he's not going to make it." True, she didn't have any great love for the arrogant king, but he was important to Yumemi, which made him important to her too.

At this, Ryuely looked downcast. Ichiko wanted to ask what was wrong, but felt it was wrong to hastily push for answers.

"Munto's spirit is corrupt," she started. "He is currently facing much uncertainty, which is tainting his heart."

Ichiko laughed nervously. This whole spiritual piece of the Heavens was much more Yumemi's thing – it didn't make any sense to her. "So, what – he's feeling a bit down and that's making him sick?"

Ryuely's smile was full of sadness. "We use our spirit to connect to the akuto that flows through nature. If our spirit becomes weak or damaged, that connection breaks. We cannot see or consume the akuto. Eventually, starved of akuto, we disappear."

"Munto's _dying_?" Ichiko's blood ran cold. "But we can fix it right? Yumemi said this happened before, she just touched him when he was about to vanish and everything was fine."

"That was because there was no akuto to be had." Ryuely waved her arm to gesture at the room and world at large. "There is an abundance of akuto, but he cannot tap into it. If he does not recover his will, he will never recover."

"Then Yumemi –"

"The Girl of Destiny can only do so much; she is already faced with a difficult trial of her own. This is a challenge that Munto must face." After a moment's consideration, the prophetess's smile became warmer. "But these are not adversaries they must face alone. For you are right – together they can open possibilities beyond my sight."

Leading Ichiko gently by the shoulder, she walked to the door. "Let me tell you where you may find the Girl of Destiny."

* * *

"This has gone on too long. Since the incident when the Akutoloids arrived, we have been under threat. They have been hostile during our peaceful negotiations and we believe that one of their biological processes is a danger to the citizens of Japan and of Earth."

A certain general was presenting to a panel of politicians who had been placed in charge of managing the administration and military resources related to the Heavens located over Japan.

Originally, the plan was to scoop up the damned girl, claim that the United Alliance had kidnapped her, and use that as the pretense to finally invade the Heavens. Then, he would receive all the recognition and glory for a successful suppression of the invaders.

Unfortunately, the communique to the Heavens had gone out before he'd learned that she'd slipped out of their custody.

Well, no matter. His contact let him know that the Heavens did in fact have the Hidaka girl, so his message was now the truth. Not having control of the situation was troubling, but nothing he couldn't handle.

"General Sato?"

"Ah, yes." Turning back to the conversation at hand, Sato continued to argue his case. "The ultimatum was issued with the intent of calling their bluff: they would return the hostage without violence. The fact of the matter is that they have ignored our message. It is clear that they mean to use the girl against us."

"And have we confirmed her powers?"

Trying to keep his annoyance under control, Sato nodded. "You have the eye-witness testimonies in the report before you. She most certainly has the ability to cause significant damage if she is made to do so."

The members of the defense council turned away from their microphones. While impossible to catch what they were saying in hushed murmurs, he could easily see that the argument was going in his favor.

"We have made a decision." The lead council speaker addressed the small audience. "We will grant General Sato of the Special Forces one strike against their military headquarters. If they do not return the Japanese citizen known as Hidaka Yumemi, then we will consider ourselves to be, for the first time in decades, at war."

"General Sato, you have stated that you know the location of the target in question."

"Yes." His contact had never failed him before, there was no reason to suspect the coordinates of the United Alliance building were false.

"Then you may arrange the sortie as you see fit. We expect a debriefing report upon your return."

He saluted. All according to plan.

* * *

"Have we heard anything from The Girl yet?" one elder barked from across the Alliance table. "Tatakohe, you were supposed to get her consent to become the Outsider – then we'd be able to show those humans that her desertion was voluntary. We have only a few more hours to spare before their deadline is reached."

Behind the mask, everyone could feel Tatakohe's cold stare. "It is being taken care of. There is nothing to be concerned about."

"Report!" One of the small page boys ran in, almost tripping over his robes. "There is a fleet of human aircraft on our sensors!"

"What?" Tatakohe swiveled his head to the side. "Visuals! Now!"

A magical screen appeared floating above the table, showing six stealth fighters making their approach. One of the aides stepped to his side with a controller. Tatakohe wasted no time assessing the combat potential. "Weapon payload?"

"Long range missiles, sir. Each one is equipped with twelve." The aid reported, furtively glanced between his display and his leader.

"How did they know where our headquarters were?"

"This location is supposed to be secret!"

"Clearly there is an information leak amongst us!"

The elders and rulers began yelling at each other, pointing fingers.

"Calm yourselves! This is no time for irrational action!" Tatakohe yelled, raising his voice above the shouting.

"I could not have said it better myself."

For some reason, hearing those disembodied words quieted the entire assembly. Those who were seasoned elders and rulers appeared shocked, for they recognized the owner. He was not someone they had expected.

Out of the deepest shadows of the room, came the sound of even footsteps tapping. In complete silence, his raspy tones echoed.

"Now is not the time for us to lose our heads at the sight of a mere squadron. Are we not The Heavens? The United Alliance? Why should we cower in fear from such meek aggression?"

Seeming to swirl directly from the darkness, the former general of the United Army, Gntarl glided over to the head of the table.

"Gntarl!" The elder from Ender sputtered. "You are supposed to be in prison!"

Gntarl regarded the doddering old fool with a piercing glare. "Yes, and you all are supposed to be holding the Heavens together, yet I don't see that happening either. We are on the verge of war, but none of you seem to be prepared to do what is necessary."

He observed the room, focusing on Tatakohe. "You – the king of Horguze. I have heard much about you. You have the gumption to bring back the former brilliance of The Heavens. Will you lead the counter attack against the humans?"

"You speak as though they have already attacked."

There was no way to read the expression behind the mask, but Gntarl narrowed his eyes. "Do you doubt their intentions?"

"No."

Whether the king of Horguze intended to expand on his initial response or not was not known, as one of the other elders cried out.

"General Gntarl, what do we do?"

Quickly, all those gathered in the room looked to the old Heavenly Being for direction. The elder from Ender watched with horror: did they not remember the frenzy that Gntarl led their armed forces with? The Heavens had begun the painful journey to find balance with the Lower World – Gntarl would destroy all of that. Having once heeded his advice, the elder had no desire to bring back that crazed anger.

Without any warning, the king of Horguze stormed out of the room. All eyes followed him until the door closed.

"There is not much time. We must be proactive and vigilant against those of the Lower World. No doubt you have heard the stories – they believe us to be parasites. Most of their kind want us gone. It is hardly a surprise that they would preemptively attempt to end us. This complaint about The Girl of Destiny is a thinly veiled disguise, nothing more than an excuse for their government." The audience sat enthralled by Gntarl's argument.

"Is there any dissent to sending out United Armed forces to handle the humans?"

No one spoke a word.

* * *

Ichiko raced down the halls, following the instructions from Lady Ryuely. What started out as an easy exercise became more difficult as the halls became more congested. There was a flurry of activity as Heavenly Beings in purple and mauve, with glowing weapons marched up and down in ranks.

What was going on?

Creeping between the pillars, Ichiko wrapped Louie's cape around for comfort every time another group of soldiers came within a hair's breadth of catching her. Slowly, she edged her way into the depth of the castle, until finally she was one pillar away from Yumemi's room.

There were a large number of guards posted outside the door. There would be no means to enter secretly. Ichiko peered around the nearest column and a bead of sweat rolled down from her temple. How was she supposed to save Yumemi?

"What is a human doing here?" A hard hand gripped her shoulder and spun her around. She was met with pale eyes and white hair. "How did you get into this place?"

There would be no lying to this mysterious stranger.

"I teleported here on a mission from Munto – king Munto – to save Yumemi, I mean, the Girl of Destiny." She tried to shrink away from the domineering scowl.

"You are here to take away the Girl of Destiny?"

Ichiko's reply was drowned out by the pounding of distant explosions. Small amounts of gravel shook down from the ceiling as walls shook after each resounding boom. "What was that?"

The Heavenly Being grabbed her arm and dragged her towards the door. Most of the guards had rushed off at the first sign of the strange din, leaving behind a lone sentry. The tan young man dropped Ichiko's arm and proceeded to knock down the guard before reaching back to tow Ichiko through the door.

"Ichiko? What are you doing here?"

Barely inside the room, Ichiko felt her best friend run to her and wrap her arms around her shoulders. Yumemi's golden hair was matted, dirty, and in utter disarray. Her clothes were not tattered, but had endured significant damage. Carefully, she pulled Yumemi away; that's when she noticed the markings.

"What are those?"

Yumemi's grave look scared her a bit – she was never this serious.

"We don't have much time. Come with me." The young man with the blue eyes commanded. "If we do not leave now, you will never be able to leave."

"Tatakohe-san," Yumemi said, "Why are you doing this?"

"There is no time to explain. You must come with me," he insisted. Ichiko regarded the exchange curiously. Did Yumemi know him?

"Hidaka Yumemi." This time the call came from another figure in the room. This one Ichiko recognized as one of the fighters from the Akuto crisis battles. The Time Ward? Something to do with being outside?

He came round the side. "You must leave. It is the only chance we have to help Munto return and perhaps to save the Heavens."

"But what about you?" Yumemi's eyes filled with apprehension. "I cannot leave you here."

"You can and you must. This is yet another destiny that you shall face." He gave her a sincere smile. "This is not the last time we meet, Girl of Destiny."

More explosions went off, this time closer to the castle. The stranger that Yumemi called Tatakohe urged once again. "We must leave now."

Yumemi nodded and grabbed onto Ichiko's hand, wincing slightly as their palms touched. "Let's go."

The trio left the room, not bothering to conceal their passage. Every armed member of the alliance was focused on whatever was happening outside.

"I have a ship. We shall use that to travel to the Lower World," Tatakohe announced. "My ship has a cloaking device that will keep us out of the battle."

"What battle?" Yumemi asked, alarmed. "Is that what the sounds are? Is there fighting?"

Tatakohe snarled. "The humans went back on their word and approached with weaponized aircraft before the deadline. Then Gntarl was able to convince the council that they cannot be reasoned with. He has them twisted around his gnarled fingers."

"Gntarl?!" Yumemi's jaw dropped. "Gntarl is the general who tried to stop us from building the link between the Heavens and our world. He was going to crystalize you, Suzume, and me for our akuto!"

"That old man? I thought Munto put him in prison!"

"So we all thought. Somehow he has managed to mystic his way out of prison and back into the head seat of the United Alliance." Tatakohe led them down several flights of stairs and then broke out into an open area, where a number of floating ships were docked. There were no floors beneath the ships, giving a good view of the Lower World. They could also see the magical flashes of magician spells and magitech weapons.

"We need to stop them!" Yumemi cried. "If they keep fighting, it will never stop."

Tatakohe restrained her with a firm grip on her cape. "We need to be gone. Fighting can be stopped later, but we cannot do a thing if we are trapped here."

There was a tense moment, but Yumemi cast down her eyes. "I don't agree with you, but I don't seem to have much of a choice." She stormed up the ladder leading into the ship. Ichiko followed quickly behind her.

"Yumemi, are you okay?"

Her smile was drained. "It has been a very complicated couple of days. To be honest, I am not sure what to do anymore."

Ichiko rubbed her shoulder. "Right now, we need to get you to Munto. Once the two of you are together, everything will be right again. Munto will be better, you will be better."

"What is wrong with Munto?" All exhaustion dropped from Yumemi's face as Ichiko realized her mistake. Of course she hadn't heard about Munto's condition. As Tatakohe boarded the ship, Ichiko filled her in, but wished that she didn't.

Yumemi's already wan expression whitened to a deathly pallor. She covered her mouth with hands covered in shifting cursed symbols. She sat quietly in a corner of the bridge, clutching the folders of her magician's robe.

Ichiko sat opposite from her, silently watching. Hopefully they were not too late.

* * *

Gntarl kept an eye on the combat, but the outcome was assured: victory would be granted to the United Alliance armed forces. He rubbed his hands together – it was wonderful to be back. The aide to Horguze approached him.

"My lord Gntarl, I have a communication from the human General Sato."

He reached out to accept the glowing magitech device and clicked one of the buttons. A tiny translucent figure floated in his hand. "General Sato."

"Damned it all! Who are you?" The furious human screamed in rage. "I want to speak to the person in charge!"

"I am in charge. What complaints do you have?"

"We are under attack! This wasn't what was discussed! We were supposed to attack –". Gntarl pushed the button to collapse the tiny figure.

"My lord, I have another update," the aide bowed, his Horguze tribal gear rustling. "It appears that my lord Tatakohe is attempting to make an escape. He has taken our ship and is rapidly departing United Alliance airspace."

"Does anyone else know this?"

The aide shook his head.

Gntarl smiled. "Excellent. Have one of our base magitech cannons target the ship and blast it out of the sky."


End file.
